


May it Please the Court

by LeisurelyPanda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftercare, Age Difference, Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Anal Fingering, Anal Plug, Anal Sex, BDSM, Bearded Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Bucky is 32, Clothed Sex, Daddy Kink, Dom Steve Rogers, Dom/sub, Double Anal Penetration, Feminization, Humiliation, Inspection, Intern Peter Parker, Knotting, Large Cock, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Office Sex, Older Man/Younger Man, Omega Peter Parker, Oral Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Size Difference, Size Kink, Spanking, Steve is 33, Sub Peter Parker, Suit Sex, Switch Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, peter is 20
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:54:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28884216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeisurelyPanda/pseuds/LeisurelyPanda
Summary: Peter is a young omega looking to make it in the world of law. He attends a prestigious university with the goal of getting into the Columbia law school when he graduates. To do that, however, he needs to get more experience in the field to ensure that his resume stands out. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the many, varied connections that his richer classmates seem to have.He makes a breakthrough when he's offered a second, in-person interview at a new law office run by young, hotshot defense lawyers in Manhattan. Barnes & Rogers are known for taking tough civil rights cases and proving the innocence of their clients. Peter wants desperately to get an internship at such a place.Little does he truly understand what it is they see in him, or just how much he will enjoy working at this firm.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes/Peter Parker/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker/Steve Rogers
Comments: 124
Kudos: 437





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look, another story where Peter gets railed by a Daddy figure or two. Who could've seen that coming? Hope y'all enjoy!

Finding an internship as an undergraduate student was a lot harder than Peter had anticipated. Even through the university's pre-law program, there were plenty of students who were looking and that meant that as much as Peter liked some of his classmates, he did have to make sure he stood out among them. It was harder than he expected it to be. On the one hand, he was a poor kid who was raised in Queens by his aunt and uncle. Getting accepted to Columbia's pre-law program at all had taken a miracle. It meant he didn't have the connections a lot of his classmates had. There was no family dynasty of rich white people who knew all the right people to guarantee the best jobs and internships for their kids.

On the other hand, the legal field was one that was dominated mostly by alphas and betas. There was still much discrimination against omegas. Many, especially betas (who tended to make up the majority of lawyers and legal experts) believed that omegas lacked the mental fortitude necessary to become a lawyer. Peter was determined, though, and managed to not only get accepted into the law program, but to excel. It was a fact his professors remarked upon frequently. 

However, that still didn't make it easier to actually find a job or internship. It was hard just to hear back from people sometimes. Occasionally, they bothered to tell him that he was not selected for the position. Other times he called and didn't hear anything. He filled application after application, revised his resume and cover letter and other documents dozens of times, dressed to the nines to impress. No dice. 

So it was that when Peter was called back to a law firm for a second interview, he was ecstatic. The first time had been with a legal aide. This time would be with the lawyers themselves. Peter could hardly believe it, but he was determined to get this job. He got his suit dry cleaned, cleared his schedule for that day, and made sure that everything he had to show was in perfect condition. He even got some scent blockers. Not enough to completely obscure his scent, but enough to lessen it somewhat.

A week later, Peter checked his reflection to make sure he was still professional. For a sophomore pre-law major to apply for a job at a law office was a big deal, even if it was just an internship. With luck, they might even hire him on as an assistant when he was done. Maybe he could become a paralegal after he graduated if he made a good impression. 

_Focus, Parker,_ he thought. _Don't get ahead of yourself._

He looked up at the building where the new office was. Barnes & Rogers, Attorneys of Law, located in the middle of the snazzy part of Manhattan. Of course most of Manhattan looked impressive compared to the area of Queens Peter grew up in. Despite living in the city, Peter had rarely been to Manhattan before he was accepted to Columbia. This particular office was relatively close to the campus, so it looked impressive. 

Barnes & Rogers were new in town, but they had made a name for themselves after they successfully proved the innocence of a pair of black men and saved them from sentence that would have sent them to jail for years. Instead, they were able to prove that the guns and drugs had been planted on them. It was a high profile case that made the NYPD look bad, but they had won in the end. Not that the cops were held accountable, but it got the men acquitted. It wasn't their last success, either. They had managed to successfully defend people wrongfully accused of all sorts of crimes. 

What really put their name on the map, though, was a recent case involving a defendant sentenced to death in South Carolina. They were able to prove that the evidence against the black man accused of the murder of three people was faulty and that the investigation had failed to adequately follow up on several leads that actually had plausible suspects. The original ruling was thrown out and the man was allowed to go free with a clean record.

Since then, they had been approached by several high profile individuals and corporations desperate to get their hands on two such promising New York lawyers. They rejected them all, preferring to work for the people rather than money. Still, their skill ensured that they had a steady stream of clients. They took all sorts, as long as their case was solid and not just a corrupt crook looking to get away with something.

Peter wanted to work for a firm like that. One that cared about justice, not just clients and money. That was why he was still checking himself. His suit fit well, his black tie was smart and professional, and naturally curly, chaotic hair was slicked back. He looked great. If looks counted for anything, he figured he'd have a decent shot at the internship. 

He stepped up to the door and opened it. He rode up the elevator to the floor where their office was located. The doors opened to a neat, clean office space. It had a soft, neutral scent, like lemongrass. It was pleasant and not overpowering, so it was a small piece of encouragement. A few legal aides milled about, typing away at computers, drinking coffee, or talking on the phone. Peter walked nervously to the man at the front desk.

"Hello, I have an interview?" Peter said. "For the intern position."

"Yes," the man said. The plaque on the desk read "Arthur” and he smelled like a beta. He looked Peter up and down before he shrugged and picked up the phone. "Mr. Rogers, your 11:00 is here…. Yes…. I'll send him in." 

He put the phone down and jerked his head towards the door. There was nothing fancy about it. It was a plain wooden door. There was a large mirror on the side. Peter checked his reflection one last time before he knocked on the door. 

"Come in," a deep voice called. Peter entered and stopped when he saw the two most handsome men he'd ever met. One sat behind the desk. His suit jacket was draped over the back of his chair and his button down white shirt clung to broad shoulders, a barrel chest, and massive arms. His face was covered in a dark beard and his piercing blue eyes looked him up and down. 

The other man had longer, dark hair tied back in a neat bun and a shorter beard. He was just a bit shorter than his partner, but just as muscled. He stood confidently, his thick arms crossed over his chest with the same appraising look on his face. One hand, Peter noticed, was made of dark metal. 

What’s more, the scent of alpha filled the room. It was rich and heady and a bit distracting. Both of them were certainly alphas and they both had strong scents. There was a part of Peter’s brain that wanted to submit, to show that he was a good omega. He shoved that part of him away as he stepped into the room. 

"Mr. Parker, yes?" the man behind the desk asked. He cleared his throat "Welcome, come in. My name is Steve and this is my partner, Bucky."

"Nice to meet you," Peter said. He shook their hands and sat down in the proffered chair. "Thanks for seeing me today."

"Of course," Steve said. "Why don't you start off by telling us a bit about yourself and why you want to intern with us?"

All through the interview, Peter tried to focus on what his answers to their questions were. He tried to think about his experience, his aspirations, his goals, and how working at their firm would help him to realize those goals as well as help them however he could. He figured that he succeeded at least a little bit. It was hard to keep focused on that stuff when he was staring at two men who were so distractingly attractive. 

Near the end, however, Peter noticed that each of them wore wedding bands. They were married. On the one hand, it made him feel a little better. They were officially off the market. If he got the job, he wouldn’t have to worry about that. On the other hand, it was a little disappointing that he wouldn’t have a shot at either of them. 

That last thought made him stop. He wanted to become a lawyer, to work in the legal field. He wasn’t going to Columbia University to find a husband. It certainly wasn’t to find a sugar daddy at a firm where he was interning. Still, as he looked at the two of them, he couldn’t help but feel a little regretful that the option wasn’t at least there. 

He did, however, allow himself a small sigh of relief when he got in the elevator to go back down. He committed their faces to memory. Just because they were married was no reason he couldn’t fantasize about what could have been between them if things were different. He would definitely make an early night tonight.

* * *

Steve couldn't help but watch Peter's ass when he walked out. It was beautiful and pert, the kind he wanted to dig his fingers into as he fucked into it. And Peter's lips… Steve was almost convinced that the boy could tell he was staring at those perfect, soft lips while he was talking. Peter somehow managed to be adorable and sexy and pretty and handsome all at once. It made Steve want to ruin him. The last guy he had met who had that insane combination of traits was his husband and Steve could still remember the way Bucky took his breath away when they first met. He had never expected to actually meet someone like that again. 

And of course, there was the fact that Peter had definitely smelled like an omega. It wasn't a problem, of course. Steve was adamantly against workplace discrimination of any sort. He knew better than many that omegas were capable of working as hard if not harder than betas and alphas. Aside from offering time off for heats, there was no reason why his being an omega should make any difference. No reason, except, that he found the boy extremely attractive. 

"We can't hire him," he said once Peter was on the elevator.

"Why the hell not?" Bucky asked. "He seems like a decent kid, he's got a good track record, he cares about the work we would be doing, and he's got a fine pair of legs."

Steve looked at his husband reproachfully. He did not, however, argue the point. It was objectively true that Peter had a gorgeous pair of legs. Long and slim that rose to become that ass that Steve couldn’t stop thinking about. He wanted to take the boy apart, see him desperate and writhing beneath him and Bucky, see if he was as beautiful blissed out with pleasure as he was in the office. 

"You know why. We're looking for an intern, not a third person in our relationship. If anything happens, we could get sued and then our reputation will be tarnished," Steve said. “We’ve built all this by caring about people and about justice. Is a pretty boy really worth risking all that?”

"So we get consent and make sure he really wants it," Bucky said. "Look, we're not hiring him on a permanent basis. He's an intern for the semester. At the end of it, if you really want him gone, we can give a good reference and help him find a job at some other law firm."

"You just want the chance to make him our sub," Steve said.

“He is more or less what we’ve talked about wanting in a sub who joined our relationship,” Bucky said. “We’re both attracted to him, he has his own ambitions that would fit nicely with ours, and he shares our values. He’s even an omega. What more could you ask for?”

“Would it be right to hire him with the intention of taking him on as a sexual and romantic partner, though?” Steve asked. “We could still do that if we didn’t hire him. We have his contact information, we could reach out and explain things.” 

“I’m not sure that would help,” Bucky said. “How would you feel if a job said that you weren’t hired because the interviewer who would make the decision decided he would rather date you instead?” 

“I’m just trying to do the right thing,” Steve said. 

“Steve, it’s not as though workplace relationships aren’t fairly common in our field, for better or worse,” Bucky said. “Even among lawyers and the people they hire to help them out. It’s almost a cliché. We can also say that if our relationship ends at any point, we’ll help him make any future steps to ensure that his life remains stable. Make a contract for that if you want.” 

“You’re really keen on this boy, huh?” Steve asked. “I’m a little surprised. I wouldn’t have expected you to be so insistent.”

"As if you wouldn't jump at the chance to spoil a boy like that rotten," Bucky said with a grin. "I know you Rogers. You want him as bad as I do."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Steve said. 

"No?" Bucky asked. “Because I remember what you were like with me, Daddy.” 

The name came as a breathy whisper. Steve’s cock immediately jumped in an almost Pavlovian response to it. He had spent years being Bucky’s Daddy. All through college and law school. They were even partners now. Even though Bucky wanted a sub to explore his own emergent dominant traits with, he still called Steve his Daddy. Steve loved it. 

“I remember how eager you were to have me,” Bucky said. “I remember how desperate you were to make me yours. How possessive. Never met another alpha who was into other alphas. It was hot and a little overwhelming.” 

“I’m glad that one of those won out in the end, baby boy,” Steve murmured. 

He remembered too. He could remember with perfect clarity where he was and what he was doing when he first met Bucky. It was the first day of orientation. They were in the same program and there was a mixer for the new students. It was the boring kind of event that students attended for the promise of free food more than genuine interest in the department itself. He remembered seeing Bucky in the middle of the room alone and looking like a lost puppy. Steve remembered feeling the same, but also that his breath was suddenly hard to find. Bucky hadn’t started growing his hair out long yet. It was short, but neat, his face adorably clean shaven, and his adorable, heart-shaped lips turned down in a slight pout. 

Steve was drawn to him like a bee to a flower. They spent the entire night together after they got everything they wanted from the event. The fact that they were both alphas didn’t even seem to matter. All these years later and it still didn’t. No one who had a problem with it dared confront them about it and neither of them cared much about the opinions of others. 

“You were charming and funny, I remember,” Steve said. “I remember how you looked when you laughed at a story about your sisters. I felt like I was under a spell.” 

Bucky hummed and leaned against the desk. “You feel like that now, don’t you?”

Steve opened and closed his mouth. He felt a bit like one of those koi fish they had in the pond in their backyard. Bucky grinned down at him in amusement. Steve started to concoct ways that he would get back at Bucky for this later. Maybe chastity. Maybe caning. Both of those options could be amusing for Steve. 

“I thought so,” Bucky said. He came around and reached down. Steve gasped as Bucky's hand cupped his rock hard cock in his pants and rubbed it through the fabric. "You want that boy to sit on your fat cock, call you Daddy, and bounce on it until you knot him. Admit it. You want to see him absolutely wrecked. You want to own him."

"Buck," Steve breathed. He looked around hesitantly, checking to make sure they were alone. A stray thought told him that he hadn't minded stepping out of the elevator in front of their office after blowing Bucky in it just a few days ago. Surely having sex in their office when they were both alone wasn't much different.

“I want it, too, Daddy,” Bucky said. “I want to him choke on my cock. I want to fuck that pretty ass until you say I can come. I want to leave bruises on his hips and love bites on his neck. I want to see him blissed out 6 ways ‘til Sunday. I want to own him.”

“Fuck, baby boy,” Steve growled. “You’re gonna cause an incident at the office if you keep this up.”

"Why don’t we? Everyone else is at lunch," Bucky whispered, a devilish gleam in his eyes. "What do you say we relieve a bit of tension?"

Steve pushed away from the desk and stood to kiss his husband. He tasted like the disgustingly sweet coffee he preferred, but Steve drank in the taste of his husband's mouth like a man dying of thirst. Bucky reached up to tangle his hands in Steve's hair. He could feel Bucky grinning triumphantly against his lips. He pulled back, turned Bucky around, and pushed him so that he was bent over Steve's mahogany desk. It was likely the best investment Steve had ever made. It had seen plenty of action before it was moved to the office. Bucky laughed and moaned lightly as he pushed his ass back against Steve's clothed cock. 

"Come on, Daddy, gimme that big cock of yours, I've been a good boy, right?" Bucky said. 

His voice was dripping like honey with need. His ass stuck out, framed perfectly by a pair of tailored pants that Steve bought him when they were first starting out as partners in law. Steve groaned even as his cock twitched with interest. He could just imagine Peter there beneath him, his gorgeous brown eyes blown wide with arousal and his cheeks flushed a tantalizing pink. Oh, all the wicked things he would do to that boy.

He reached around and pulled Bucky's pants down, exposing his beautiful ass. Steve didn't hesitate to spread Bucky's cheeks apart and dive in to eat his ass. However, the sight was marred by one very important thing that was missing. 

“You forgot your plug, baby boy,” Steve growled. Bucky chuckled shyly. “You still expect me to fuck you, don’t you?” 

“It would be nice,” Bucky said. “Besides, you were rushing me out the door after you were done with me this morning. I barely had time to get dressed!” 

“Oh, so it’s my fault that you forgot to wear the one thing I told you wear today?” Steve asked. “You’re blaming your Daddy now?” 

“No, Daddy, I’m sorry,” Bucky said quickly. 

“I thought not,” Steve said. Then he sighed. “I’ll have to punish you for this later, you know.” 

Bucky whimpered at that. 

“You won’t come again today,” Steve said. “But since you decided to get me all hot and bothered, you can help me get off.” 

“Yes, Daddy,” Bucky said. 

“Good boy,” Steve said. 

With that, Steve finally buries his face between Bucky’s cheeks. Bucky moaned lightly and pushed back against Steve's face. Steve moaned at the taste. He loved eating Bucky's ass. It was a work of art. It was tight and taut and juicy, the cheeks filled Steve’s hands perfectly. He squeezed them greedily and Bucky whined. Steve looked down at Bucky’s hole as it puckered at him, winking coyly with the need to be filled. He was a bit loose from when Steve had fucked him this morning (bastard had almost made them late for work), but Steve still pressed two fingers into Bucky's ass. 

"Fuck, I love this hole, Buck," Steve murmured. "It's all mine. I'm the only one who gets to make you feel like this. You wanna be a good boy for Daddy? You wanna make Daddy happy?"

"Mmf, yes Daddy," Bucky whimpered as Steve's fingers pressed against his prostate. "Please, give me your cock. I need it, I want it."

"Yeah you do," Steve purred. "So desperate for Daddy's cock, aren't you? Can't get enough of it."

"Helps that your cock is amazing," Bucky said. "Fuck, Daddy, stop stalling, I need it!"

"Hush, baby boy," Steve murmured. "Daddy's gonna have his fun with you first."

Steve pumped his fingers in and out of Bucky's hole. With every thrust in, he pressed against Bucky's prostate and made him moan desperately. Bucky whimpered and pushed back against Steve, trying to get Steve's fingers to go deeper. Despite his tendency to talk smart, Bucky always got sweet and needy when Steve finally gave him the handling he wanted. 

Any other time or place, and Steve would be inclined to take his time. He might fuck Bucky with his fingers until Bucky came. He might flip Bucky over and suck him off. He might find all kinds of ways he could drive his husband crazy before finally giving him what he wanted. But now, they less than an hour before their workers returned. Steve pressed a third finger into Bucky's hole and grinned wickedly as Bucky hissed. 

"Not gonna be sweet with ya this time, sweetheart," Steve said lowly. "Gonna be hard and rough and quick. Think you can handle that, baby?"

"Yes, Daddy," Bucky said. "I can take it. Please, gimme your cock."

Steve stood up and unzipped his pants. He flipped his cock between the opening, letting it hang heavy as he reached for the lube in his desk. Bucky wiggled his ass impatiently while Steve snapped the lid open and squeezed out a dollop of lube on his palm. He slicked up his cock with a filthy moan. He was quick and nearly as impatient as Bucky was. The memory of Peter was still fresh in his mind. Part of him felt a little guilty for thinking about another man while his husband was beneath him, but he knew Bucky was thinking about Peter, too.

"Just think," he murmured. "Peter could be here under you. Your big cock could fill him up like mine's about to fill your hungry little hole."

"Daddy," Bucky whined. "Please…"

"I would fuck both of you," Steve said as he pressed the fat head of his cock to Bucky's entrance. "Fuck you so good that you'd fuck that pretty little ass of his. Or maybe I would make you do all the work."

"Fuck," Bucky whimpered.

"You like that idea? You like thinking about how I'd tell you to fuck that cute little boy?" Steve asked. He pushed in, the head of his cock breaching the tight ring of muscle. He moaned as the heat of Bucky's ass surrounded him. "Yeah, you like that. You might be his Sir someday, but I'll always be your Daddy, and you'll always be my good boy."

"Yes, Daddy," Bucky moaned. "Please, please lemme fuck him. I'll fuck him good for you, Daddy, I promise."

"I know you will," Steve purred. He pushed in until he bottomed out inside Bucky's body. He paused just for a moment to feel his cock pulse inside Bucky's tight heat. It was always amazing to him, no matter how many times he did it. Bucky's ass felt like home for his cock. "Fine, we'll hire him. But he has to make the first move before we do anything with him."

"Really? That was easy. Maybe I should use my ass to persuade you more often," Bucky said. Steve smacked him on said ass, but Bucky just laughed as he squeezed on Steve's cock. 

"Brat," he said. "Don't think I won't discipline you later for that little comment in addition to what you’re already getting."

“Sorry, Daddy,” Bucky said. 

“No you’re not,” Steve said. 

He pulled back until just the had of his cock was inside Bucky and slammed it back in. Bucky hissed and moaned, his back arching with the same natural grace as any omega. Steve moaned as he set a bruising pace. The slap of his hips hitting Bucky’s filled the room and the desk rocked slightly with the force of Steve’s thrusts. Bucky moaned with utter abandon. It was a good thing Steve insisted on soundproofing the room. To ensure confidentiality. 

It wasn’t long before Steve felt his knot starting to catch on the rim of Bucky’s hole. He groaned as he started fucking Bucky even faster. Bucky moaned and squeezed around Steve’s cock beautifully. With one final thrust, Steve’s knot popped and he came inside his husband. As he did so, he leaned down and bit down on his mating mark. Bucky moaned loudly at the feeling. Steve’s jaw remained clamped around the mating mark as his knot spurt come into Bucky’s waiting hole. 

It took a few minutes before Steve’s knot finally began to soften and his jaw relaxed. He straightened himself and sighed. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked. 

“Like I wanna come but can’t,” Bucky grumbled, “Just had to forget that plug.”

Steve chuckled. A couple minutes later, his knot finished deflating and he slipped it out. He wiped his cock off with a few tissues and opened one of his desk drawers. Inside were a selection of plugs he kept for just such an occasion. He picked a purple one with a fairly wide head and pressed it against Bucky’s hole. Bucky gasped. 

“You had these this whole time and didn’t tell me?” Bucky demanded. “Daddy, I’m shocked at you!” 

“I don’t know why,” Steve chuckled. “I figured you’d forget to wear these one of these days. At least I was prepared.” 

“Sadistic old man,” Bucky grumbled. Steve chose to ignore that as he pushed the plug in until it was nestled deep inside Bucky. Bucky straightened and pulled his pants back up. His cock made a noticeable tent in them. 

“Let’s eat lunch while it’s still the lunch hour,” Steve said. “No point in going hungry until we finally get to leave tonight.” 

Bucky nodded and left to fetch their lunches from the office fridge.

* * *

Peter spent the rest of the day slowly burning off the excess anxious energy he had about the interview. He thought it went well. The lawyers seemed to like his answers to their questions and he had plenty of stuff to say about their organization and how much he respected what they did. 

And of course, there was the fact that he couldn’t get them out of his mind. They were so hot. Even the fact that they were clearly gay didn’t help. He just imagined both of them having him at once. He imagined how they would be with each other. He had never been the type to imagine that sort of thing. It felt creepy, but he couldn’t help it now. He was officially an omega who fantasized about alphas having sex with each other. 

The only person he had told about it was MJ. She understood, but also teased him relentlessly about it. She was also a pre-law major at Columbia, though she also majored in politics. She was unsure whether she wanted to be a lawyer or a politician. She was a huge fan of progressive politicians. 

It was nearly 6:00 that evening when his phone rang. His heart almost stopped when he saw it was the office he had just interviewed at. He took a moment to breathe before he answered the phone. 

“Hello, Peter Parker,” he said. God, was his voice shaking? Too late, he couldn’t take it back. He just had to hope that the rest of the call would go well. 

“Hey, Peter, glad I caught you,” Steve said. His voice sounded like molten caramel. Dark and rich and deep and just amazing. “Is now a good time?” 

“Yeah, now’s a great time,” Peter said. 

“Good, well, I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Barnes and I have decided to offer you the internship position,” he said.

That was it. His life was over. Peter had to physically restrain himself from screaming with joy. 

“That’s fantastic, I would be happy to accept!” Peter said. 

“And since we know college is more expensive than ever, we are also offering pay of $15 an hour,” Steve said. 

“Oh my God, thank you so much!” Peter cried. “How many hours a week will I work?” 

“We were hoping to have you here 20-25 hours a week,” Steve said. “We can certainly discuss boosting your hours should we decide to hire you on a more permanent basis at the end of the semester.” 

“Thank you so much, sir!” Peter said. 

“When can you start?” Steve asked. 

“I can start next week if you want,” Peter said. “My first class on Monday doesn’t start until 3,” Peter said. 

“Sounds perfect. We’ll see you bright and early on Monday for orientation,” Steve said. “Glad to have you on board, Peter.” 

With that, he hung up. Peter did scream then. He dropped the phone on his chest and squealed with delight. He was going to start working at a law office! He was going to have that mythical paid internship! He pinched himself to see if he was dreaming and was ecstatic to find that he was, in fact, wide awake.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter was positively bouncing off the walls come Monday. He got up early, hardly able to sleep the night before, and showered thoroughly before work. In the back of his mind, he wished that he could make himself some kind of lunch. He would be at work until 2, which would leave him just an hour before his class at 3. Alas, living in a dorm didn't provide that kind of ability. Rich kids, it turned out, were just as prone to eating food that wasn't theirs as everyone else, if not more so. He did, however, steal a bagel with cream cheese and some fruit from the cafeteria before he left. It would be better than nothing. 

He wasn't sure what dress code would be expected of him. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes were the only ones who wore suits last time, so Peter opted to go with business casual attire. He wore a soft, red polo shirt and a pair of black pants with black dress shoes. He spent a bit too long picking out what to wear, but he still left on time to make it to work. 

A trip through the subway and a few blocks later, and Peter stood outside the law office again. He checked his hair for a moment before he went inside. He arrived with 10 minutes to spare. The front lobby was lit, with only one or two aides milling about quietly. Work hadn't seemed to start yet. Peter could smell fresh coffee in the air. He liked the smell, though he'd never cared for the taste. 

"So you're the one they hired, are you?" said the beta from when Peter was last here. Arthur, his mind replied. There was something... unpleasant in his voice, but Peter chose to ignore it.

"Yeah," he said cheerfully. He extended his hand. "I'm Peter Parker, in case you forgot. I'm excited to begin. Do you know who will be training me?"

"No, and I don't much care," Arthur said. He ignored Peter's hand. "If you want my advice, don't be too excited. You're basically a glorified secretary, at best. It's not like you'll be doing anything important."

Peter withdrew his hand, a bit deflated. Sure, it was true that he was an intern for the semester. He might not get all that much experience doing the work of a legal aide, but he had to start somewhere.

"Mr. Williams," came a stern voice. 

Peter turned to see Mr. Barnes standing there with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Peter idly wondered just how someone came to have a metal arm, but figured it would be rude to just ask. Then again, how did one go about finding that sort of thing out? Did he even talk about it? Maybe he was a veteran or something and lost his arm in combat and didn't like talking about it and then if Peter asked he would be dragging up old trauma and then his new boss would think less of him and he could be fired and then his entire career would be down the toilet and he would be forced to live paycheck to paycheck working in a movie theater or something dreaming about what might have been if only he hadn't asked his stupidly sexy boss about his stupidly sexy metal arm. 

This wasn't helping. Peter mentally shook himself out of that train of thought and refocused on the situation in front of him. Mr. Barnes looked like a thundercloud and Mr. Rogers didn't seem much better. 

"I hope you're showing our new intern every courtesy," Mr. Barnes said. "He is, after all, our most recent hire and looking to learn whatever we can teach him about our field for however long he's with us." 

Arthur's face grew red as a tomato. "Yes, of course, Mr. Barnes."

Mr. Rogers, however, did not seem placated. He took a sip of his coffee and jerked his head towards his office door.

"Mr. Williams, would care to step into my office for a moment?" he asked. Arthur swallowed and nodded before he practically scurried in. Mr. Rogers followed shortly behind and closed the door softly behind him. 

"Sorry your first day started off so lousy," Mr. Barnes said. "Did he get to you?"

"A little, but it's not as though I expect to do that much here," Peter said.

"You're still not our secretary," Mr. Barnes said. "Arthur is our secretary. He doesn't even plan on becoming a lawyer. He's got about as much ambition as a goldfish."

Peter snickered at that and Mr. Barnes smiled warmly. Something about that smile made Peter's stomach flip. This close, Mr. Barnes smelled like snow, gun smoke, and fir trees. It was a cool, soft scent, but every bit an alpha. It made Peter a bit weak in the knees.

"Thanks, Mr. Barnes," Peter said. 

"Please, call me Bucky," he replied. "Everyone does. And feel free to call my partner Steve. He won't mind, I promise."

"Okay, thanks, Bucky," Peter said. "Do you know who will train me?"

"Since you're our intern, Steve will be training you," Bucky said. "He's not the sort to commit to something and then delegate the responsibility. He'll get you set up so you know what you're doing." 

"Does he have the time for that?" Peter asked. "I mean, aren't lawyers usually super busy or something?" 

"Don't worry about that," Bucky said. "We hired you as an intern, so we do intend for you to fulfill some of that role. If you were a legal aide, you wouldn't be able to shadow us at all, so take every advantage of your position." 

"Thank you, sir," Peter said with a nod. "Sorry, you said that you wanted me to call you, Bucky it just slipped out."

Bucky smiled. There was a glint of something Peter couldn't recognize in his eyes. He took Peter's arm and squeezed lightly.

"Don't worry about it," Bucky said. "Now, do you want coffee? There's still some time before work starts up."

"Thanks, but I've never really acquired a taste for that," Peter said. Bucky chuckled at that. 

"You will eventually," Bucky said. "Being a lawyer means lots of early mornings and late nights. Coffee becomes your friend after a while. We do have tea, though, and an electric kettle for the water if you prefer."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Peter said. Bucky turned and walked down the hall to an empty office. It was a bit on the small side, but Peter supposed that was to be expected. Bucky and Steve were the only ones with sizeable offices here. 

"Make yourself at home," Bucky said. "Feel free to decorate with whatever you want while you're here. And if you ever have downtime, feel free to study, though we do tend to keep pretty busy."

"Thanks. Is there an office fridge?" Peter asked. "I'd like to put my lunch away."

"Sure, it's down the hall, second door on the right," Bucky said. 

Peter dropped his lunch off and selected a styrofoam cup to make himself a cup of tea. He chose a generic black tea and poured water into the electric kettle. It took just a couple minutes to bring the water to come to a boil and a few more minutes to steep his tea. He added a bit of sugar to it and began to sip it slowly. 

It was a few minutes after he returned to his office when Steve showed up. He had taken his suit jacket off and Peter had to take a moment to stare. He was massive. His plain blue button down shirt seemed to strain over his muscles. His arms and shoulders were so braid that Peter couldn't help but gaze at them and wonder what they looked like. There was also the matter of his suspenders. Two straps went up over his chest and shoulders so that Peter found himself looking directly at Steve's chest and the firm, round pecs that would do any male omega, like Peter himself, shame. He smiled gently and Peter was grateful that he was sitting down. 

"Hey, just wanted to check up on you," Steve said. "How you doing?"

"I'm fine," Peter squeaked. He cleared his throat. "It takes more than a rude coworker to get to me."

"That's good," Steve said. "If he gives you any more trouble, you come talk to me, okay?"

"Okay, sir," Peter said. 

"Good boy," Steve murmured. Peter's stomach flipped at that faint bit of praise. Maybe he was going insane. He'd never reacted so much to alphas before, but these two had him feeling like he was on a roller coaster at Coney Island. "Now come on, we have our morning meeting coming up in a few minutes. You'll spend the first couple days shadowing me and I'll show you the ropes of how we do things here. That sound like a plan?"

"Yes, sir," Peter said. Why did he say sir again? It just seemed right, even though Steve was every bit as friendly and hospitable as Bucky. 

As he followed Steve to the conference room, he couldn't help but look at his back, which was every bit as impressive as his front. Peter wondered how he would get through this training with such a distractingly attractive alpha. He was determined to behave appropriately, however. His aunt didn't raise an omega who would entice alphas away from their mates, no matter how attractive those alphas were.

He did feel his resolve shake, however, when his eyes fell upon Steve's glorious ass. Peter was going to have to have a talk with the universe when he died about all this. Maybe even a therapist. 

His hopes of escaping Steve and Bucky were dashed when Steve ushered him into a seat next to him. Peter smiled and blushed and thanked him. What else was he supposed to do? He did take some pleasure in seeing Arthur scowling at the far end of the table. Whatever Steve had said to him had not improved his mood, it seemed. 

_Serves him right_ , Peter thought. _How someone gets a job at a place like this when they treat omegas like that is beyond me._

Bucky leaned over to whisper something to Steve. Peter didn't catch it, but Steve shook his head firmly. Bucky seemed pleased by whatever news it was. Steve made no mention of it to the rest of the room, though. Instead, he started the meeting, presiding over it as a judge might govern a courtroom.

Steve inquired about the status of various investigations were concerned. There were easily a dozen cases that he and Bucky were working on and a waiting list so long Peter felt sorry for people who were trying to get Steve and Bucky to help them. As it was, though, there were only two lawyers, half a dozen legal aides, a secretary, and Peter.

The thought he was part of all this made him giddy, but he kept a lid on his emotions. Better to pay attention to what people were doing so he could prepare to do the same.

Oddly enough, most of the cases they were dealing with at the moment were fairly mundane. There were some who were on trial for criminal offenses. Others were simpler, like divorce suits or people suing someone else for one petty reason or another. All of it was exciting, though. Of course, due to confidentiality laws and ethics, as well as various paperwork Peter had signed, Peter couldn't speak about any of what he heard outside of work. That was par for the course. 

The meeting lasted exactly an hour, at which point Steve dismissed those gathered. He stood and looked down at Peter.

"Hope you've worn comfortable shoes," he said. "We have several meetings to get to this morning."

"Well, I have business shoes," Peter replied. 

"Tomorrow, wear some good walking shoes," Steve said. "We have a lot of ground to cover and wearing comfortable shoes will make your life easier."

"You're wearing dress shoes, though," Peter said.

"I'm a lawyer, I have to look the part," Steve replied. He grabbed his suit jacket from his office and locked up. "First rule, always lock up behind you. Legal documents must be kept confidential and we must maintain our due diligence in guaranteeing that."

"Yes, sir," Peter said with a nod. Steve chuckled.

"Did Bucky not give you the speech about how we go by first names here?" Steve asked.

"Oh no, he did, I just… you just…" Peter flailed. 

Steve was looking at him. He had an amused little smile on his face as he looked down at Peter. His beard looked amazing, like Steve had spent a weekend in the mountains doing something sexy like chopping wood or... whatever else people did in forests. His eyes were so blue. And sharp. Like they could see straight through him. Suddenly, Peter felt very small and vulnerable, but also warm. Like his entire body was becoming jello, but in a good way, if that was possible. That wasn't possible, was it? That was ridiculous. 

"Yes?" Steve asked. His voice sounded like the way hot chocolate felt on a cold day. It sent shivers down Peter's spine and made him feel warm at the same time. His eyes glittered darkly beneath impossibly long eyelashes. 

_Oh hell, this is going to be a long semester_ , Peter thought.

"You just… seem more like an authority figure," Peter said. "Like, it just seems more natural to call you sir."

"I'm flattered," Steve said lowly. Oh god, that tone of voice would kill him. "My husband would probably get a kick out of that."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Never you mind, kid," Steve said. He ushered Peter out of his office and towards the elevator. "Maybe I'll tell you about someday when we don't have somewhere to be."

"Right, of course, sir," Peter said.

* * *

Peter was no stranger to making his way through the New York metro, but it was so rarely something he did with such excitement. He could hardly sit still on their way to the first meeting Steve had. Steve, for his part, seemed amused as he took it in stride. 

Peter peppered him with questions about what it was like and what advice he had for someone studying law. Some of it was general stuff that Peter heard frequently. Study hard, get plenty of experience, make connections when possible, and don’t get discouraged. Other advice was more personal. To take care of himself, don’t rise to insults about his designation, not to compromise his morals or beliefs, and surround himself with good people to consult with. Peter filed all the advice away. Something about the way Steve talked about this stuff made it seem like he would be right at home teaching classes about this. 

In fact, Peter could imagine Steve in almost any position of authority when it came to the law. He just seemed so assured and confident about what he was talking about, like there was no doubt at all in his mind about what he believed. It was insanely hot for some reason. Peter wanted to see him in court, actually defending someone to a jury, for entirely professional reasons, of course. 

Their first stop was with a middle aged woman and her wife living in Brooklyn. In fact, three of the clients Steve was meeting with today were in Brooklyn. Steve clutched his briefcase tightly as he pushed through the crowd while leaving the metro. Peter was right behind him every step of the way. When they finally arrived at her home, Steve greeted them with politeness and she welcomed him warmly, the way she would a grandson. Peter introduced himself with equal politeness and one of them offered him chocolate chip cookies, which he accepted happily. They were the dangerous kind of chocolate cookies: laden with butter and generous heapings of chocolate chips that melted in his mouth almost on contact. Steve only had the one, which may have been for the best, but Peter couldn’t bring himself to have just one.

Her case, it turned out, regarded custody of their grandkids since their mother had turned to alcohol to cope with the sudden death of her husband. It was a grim picture she painted, but Steve discussed how they could proceed with the case in a way that was best for the kids. He relayed the discussion he had had with their daughter’s lawyer. It was an attempt to settle the dispute by offering joint custody. 

“What do you recommend, Steve?” one of them asked him after he finished relaying the offer. 

“As your legal counsel, I am obligated to encourage you to think about it,” Steve replied neutrally. 

“But do you think we should accept it?” the other asked. “What do you think of our chances of winning if we fought this in court?”

Steve paused. It was the first time Peter had seen him hesitate all morning. Peter didn’t envy him. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if he was in this situation, having to offer legal advice regarding child custody. Of course, it could very well be in his future. Hopefully not too soon in the future, but still. 

“I think there’s a good chance we can win,” Steve said. “Your daughter has failed to complete rehab every time she’s gone and the kids’ performance at school has suffered. That, in addition to other pieces of evidence could persuade the jury to give you custody of the children. It’s not a guarantee, of course.”

The wives looked at each other with pensive, uncertain looks. “When do we need to let you know our answer by?” 

“Take the next 48 hours to decide,” Steve said. “I’ll relay your decision to your daughter’s attorney and we’ll proceed however you decide to proceed.” 

They stayed to answer a couple more questions before they were able to leave. Steve thanked them for their hospitality and they walked out the door. 

“What did you think?” Steve asked. 

“I feel sorry for them,” Peter said. “I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.” 

“Nor would I,” Steve said. “It’s important to confront those feelings though. If you let them eat away at you, let their burdens become your own, and soon you’ll be weighed down by all the worries of others.”

“So you’re saying to compartmentalize my feelings?” Peter said. 

“In a way. Professional boundaries exist for a reason,” Steve said. “In this firm, we often work with people when they’re at some of their lowest, most stressful points in their lives. The same is true for many other firms. You have to be able to walk away when it’s over, even if you didn’t get the result you were fighting for.” 

“Does it ever get hard?” Peter asked. 

“Of course,” Steve said. “You find ways to make it work, though.” 

“Does it help to have a mate who works with you?” Peter asked. 

“Sometimes,” Steve replied. “It’s more that we can help distract each other from our worries related to our jobs.”

“That sounds nice. I’ve never really had someone like that,” Peter said. Steve smiled at him. 

“I’m sure you’ll find someone like that,” he said. “Perhaps sooner than you think.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Peter said.

* * *

The rest of the day was much the same as the first meeting. Peter was a bit more prepared for them now that he knew what to expect. Thankfully, none of them were child custody cases. Some were more petty and some were cases made in good faith. Peter wasn’t sure how Steve was so equally polite to all the clients. Some of them he wouldn’t take if he could help it. It wasn’t like Steve and Bucky were public defenders assigned to certain cases based on need, after all. 

Surprisingly, they were still out and about when lunch rolled around. Peter wasn’t going to say anything until his stomach growled loudly. Steve looked at him and chuckled. He seemed embarrassed for some reason. 

“Sorry, I’m used to staying out until my meetings are done,” Steve said. “Though, Arthur emailed me and said my last appointment called to cancel, so I suppose we can get lunch and discuss any questions you have.” 

“You don’t have to do that, sir,” Peter said. 

“I insist,” Steve replied. 

“Then… I would be happy to have lunch with you,” Peter said. “Thank you. Got any place in mind?” 

“I grew up in Brooklyn,” Steve said. “I know some good places.” 

“Seriously?” Peter asked excitedly. “I’m from Queens!”

Steve grinned and nudged Peter playfully. “Queens is nice, I suppose. It’s got nothing on Brooklyn, though.’ 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say,” Peter replied. They laughed at that. 

“So what do you feel like having?” Steve asked. 

“I’m happy with pretty much anything,” Peter replied. 

“That’s not what I asked,” Steve said. Peter blushed and ducked his head. 

“I like Indian food, sir,” Peter replied. 

“Good call,” Steve replied. “I know a good place nearby. Great curry and unlimited rice and naan with whatever you order.” 

“Sounds great to me,” Peter said. 

It took them about 20 minutes to make it to the restaurant. Peter could smell the spices wafting through the area outside the restaurant even before he saw it. It was a fairly large restaurant. When they arrived, Steve asked for a table on the balcony and thankfully, there was one. The host took them to an outdoor seating area with a multitude of plants and a fresh breeze (well, as fresh as one could find in New York City, anyway). Steve pulled out the chair for Peter and squeezed his shoulder as Peter sat down. Peter blushed at the touch. He couldn't help it. It was the kind of old fashioned thing alphas always did in old shows or period dramas. It felt good, actually. 

“Feel free to order whatever you want,” Steve said. “I’ll pay.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Peter said. 

10 minutes later, Bucky arrived and sat between them. Peter blinked and blushed as Bucky leaned down to kiss Steve. 

“What do you feel like having?” Steve asked when he arrived. 

“You know what I like,” Bucky said. He turned to Peter. “So how was your first morning?” 

“It was enlightening,” Peter said. “I really enjoyed it.” 

“I’m glad,” Bucky said. “Stevie here is good at showing new people the ropes.” 

Peter had to stifle a laugh at Steve being called something like that. He seemed so stern and in charge, it was hard to imagine calling him something so casual. Steve didn’t bat an eye at the name, but he smiled fondly at his husband. Peter returned his attention to the menu before he could be caught staring. 

Steve ordered them a plate of samosas. Peter had actually never tried them, though he did have a vague idea what they were. There were nine of them, perfect for each of them to have three. Peter brought the first one with a bit of green mint and cilantro chutney poured on his plate. He moaned at the taste, the perfect crispness of the fried exterior. It was somehow light and savory at the same time, the sauce adding the perfect complement to the flavor.

Peter paused when he noticed the alphas staring at him. With a start, he realized that he'd been moaning the whole time he was eating his samosas. He had probably seemed indecent in front of his bosses! His face heated and he hid behind his menu. 

"It's good to know that you appreciate the food here," Bucky chuckled. He took Peter's menu. "There's nothing to be ashamed of in taking pleasure in something."

Something about the way he said "pleasure" made Peter's gut coil up. It was hot, but he was sure that he was just reading too much into it. He turned to Steve, who was looking at him with a slight smile on his face. He reached across the table and swiped something off Peter's lower lip with a finger. Peter's face grew even hotter as Steve sucked his finger into his mouth and hummed. 

"Delicious," he said.

Peter's brain short circuited. The only thing there was static filling his head. Thankfully, he was saved by the waiter arriving to take their order. Unfortunately, Peter had completely forgotten what it was he wanted to order.

"I will have the chicken korma, spicy," Steve said, seemingly oblivious to Peter's predicament. "My husband will have the goat pasanda, medium spicy."

"Very good, sir," the waiter replied with a thick Indian accent. "And for you, sir?"

"Um," Peter said. He looked back at the menu and found what he was looking for. "I'll have the lamb coconut curry, medium spicy, please. And can I have the honeydew bubble tea?"

"Excellent choice," the waiter said as he took their menus. 

He almost sighed with relief when Steve and Bucky started discussing work. It gave his mind something else to think about. He listened intently as they discussed what updates they had about their cases and various calls they had for more. There was a fair amount of demand and with only two of them, there was only so much they were capable of taking on. As it was, they were nearly at capacity if they weren't already.

What was most fascinating to Peter was how they decided to move forward with a case. Whether they would refer someone out or put them on a waiting list, whether they would recommend pursuing a suit or encourage settlement. It was also interesting to hear about what people decided to do. There were cases that Peter might think would have a good shot at winning that the clients would opt for settling. There were cases that Peter would expect to pursue settlement that the clients wanted to push ahead with. 

Of course, Steve and Bucky had to go with whatever the clients wanted, whether they personally agreed with the path forward or not. It was all part of the job. Peter figured it was as good an aspect of the job to see as the others. They couldn't always be making news for the work they did. 

"So Peter," Bucky said after their food arrived. "What makes you interested in being a lawyer?"

Peter hummed around his first mouthful of food. It was delicious. The lamb was cooked perfectly and the curry was an amazing balance of sweet and spicy. He had to actually think about the response to Bucky's question.

"Well, I guess I'm just fascinated with the legal issues and trying to make the law work for the people," Peter said. "Like, it's supposed to help make our lives better, right? I'm interested in making sure that it does."

"Well said," Steve replied. 

"It's probably pretentious and idealistic, but that's what I want to do," Peter said. 

"Nothing wrong with having ideals," Steve said. "They're good to have. Knowing what you believe can make your path clearer when you feel stuck or uncertain. You understand?"

"Yes, sir, I think so," Peter said. 

"Kid, what'd I tell you about calling us, sir?" Bucky asked with an amused smile on his face. 

"Peter here said that he can't help but be respectful around me," Steve said with what might have been a smug look. Peter had no idea why he might look smug, but he did. "I think it's somewhat refreshing. He's a good kid."

"Don't let it go to your head, Rogers," Bucky replied. "He just hasn't known you long enough to know what a punk you really are."

Peter laughed in spite of himself. He cleared his throat, but it was too late. Bucky grinned triumphantly while Steve looked perturbed. 

"The… curry is good," Peter said.

"I haven't done anything to warrant being called a punk in weeks," Steve said.

"9 days, so just a bit longer than a week," Bucky said. 

"See? More than a week," Steve said. "I'd say that's pretty good."

Peter had no choice but to watch as Steve and Bucky snickered like an old married couple. Well, they were married, but they were hardly old. Even as they bickered over something that felt like an old argument, Peter could tell that they loved each other. It was lovely.

Peter felt stuffed before he even got through half of his curry. He didn't want to stop eating it, but he also didn't want to look like a pig. Bucky and Steve both cleaned up their plates, but Peter figured it was to be expected since they were alphas. Steve did ask for a box for Peter when the waiter stopped by to check in on them later. 

"Thanks for lunch today," Peter said. "I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it," Steve said. "It was a good time to take a break and we could hardly dismiss you while you're still in training."

"I guess not," Peter said.

"Your first class is in a couple hours, right?" Steve asked. "Why don't you leave early and get ready for that and I'll show you how to do various documents tomorrow?"

"Thank you, sir," Peter said. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

* * *

Peter's classes were fairly simple. They were at the beginning of the semester, so most of it was just covering the syllabus and what all would happen in the class. It was boring and there was that familiar feeling of terror as Peter scheduled all the exams, papers, and presentations that would occur. Columbia had high standards for their students and if he wanted to get into their law school when he graduated, he had to find a way to distinguish himself. 

Still, there was always time to hang out with MJ, especially since it was still the beginning of the semester. They shared a number of classes, so at least he would be able to have someone to discuss what he learned in them. 

"So, how was your first day?" she asked that evening after their last class was done. 

"God, I don't know how I'm gonna finish all this," Peter muttered. "I mean, we have a 12 page paper, 3 exams, and 2 presentations in Dr. Snyder's class alone. That's a ton of work. I don't know when I'm going to find the time to do it all."

"Not the classes, the job!" MJ said. She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Parker, why would I ask about your classes? Tell me about the hot alpha lawyers."

"Oh, right," Peter said. He felt his face heat up. "It was… nice."

"Nice," she echoed. "What kind of nice? Did you do anything interesting or did you just sit in an office?"

"Well, one of them took me with him to meet with clients," Peter said.

"You went to see clients and you didn't think to tell me?" she demanded. "Spill, Parker, what was it like?"

"It was amazing," Peter said. "I mean, it was fascinating to actually see what it's like behind the scenes."

"Dude, I'm so jealous, I swear to God," she said. "Maybe I should try finding something for next semester."

"It couldn't hurt," Peter said. "Anyway, I basically spent all morning seeing clients with him and then he and his husband took me out to lunch."

"They took you out?" she asked with a grin. "Where? You have to tell me! What was it like?"

"It was just them being friendly to the new intern," Peter said. He told her everything that happened during the lunch, aside from the business Steve and Bucky discussed. As she listened, her sly smile grew wider and wider.

"Dude, you've got yourself some sugar daddies," she said.

"I do not!" he replied. "I told you, they're just being friendly."

"Peter, they're clearly interested," she said. "That's the sort of thing alphas do when they're interested!"

"I'm pretty sure you're reading too much into it," he said. "You didn't see how they were with each other. It's so obvious they love each other that you can tell just by looking at them."

"Well, that's good, but that doesn't mean they aren't interested in having an omega," she replied. "Who knows? Maybe one of them is a prime alpha."

"Just because two alphas get together doesn't mean that one of them is a prime alpha," Peter replied. "There are plenty of same designation pairings where neither of them are." 

"Well yeah, because primes are rare," she said. "Like, only 2% of alphas and omegas present as one." 

"Yeah, well, so the odds are super low."

"But not zero," she said with a knowing look. 

"Surely they would want someone older though."

"Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't," she replied. "Different people are interested in different things."

"There's no way," Peter said. "They're insanely hot. Why would they be interested in me? I'm just a college kid."

She looked at him for a long moment before she sighed. 

"Tell you what? Let's make a bet," she said. 

"On what?"

"Whether you end up with them," she said. "If they turn out to be interested in you, you have to introduce me to them, preferably at a nice restaurant."

"If they turn out to want to be my sugar daddies, I'll gladly take you out to meet them," Peter said. "What if I win?"

"I'll find you some nice vodka to commiserate at the end of the semester," she said. "But you have to actually try to find out if they're interested. You can't just go to work and avoid them all semester."

Peter considered this. It was a tempting offer. He would be 21 in October, so they could drink officially once she turned 21 in November. And if she turned out to be right, he would more than happy to take her out.

"Deal," he said. She held out her pinky with total seriousness. He took it in his and they shook on it.

"There," she said. "Good luck. You tell me the minute you know either way."

"Promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a bit of explanation for those who are confused about prime alphas and omegas. Essentially, the idea behind primes is that they're people born alpha or omega whose pheromones are stronger than the average alpha or omega. For alphas, this manifests in being more protective and often more of a leader since people tend to subconsciously submit to them. For omegas, this tends to manifest more as people wanting to take care of them more. More details will be explained as the story progresses.


	3. Chapter 3

In retrospect, Steve should have known the challenge to have Peter make the first move would be harder than it seemed. He wasn't used to waiting, to trying to attract attention through subtle means and cues. He saw something (or someone, as it were) and went after them. That strategy had worked wonders when he met Bucky. 

Perhaps part of him hoped that the attraction would prove to be puppy love. It would burn for a moment and then fade as time went on and his interest waned. However, the opposite occurred. The more Steve worked with Peter, the more he found himself wanting the younger man. It wasn't just that he was an omega, or that he smelled delightful, or that he seemed to take direction so well. 

It was the intent way he listened to everything going on around him. Whether it was in morning debriefings, meetings with clients, or if he was just with Steve and Bucky. He absorbed everything like a sponge. Sometimes he made connections with what he learned in class and books with the work they were doing. 

It was also how passionate he was about the work. Steve and Bucky made enough to live in comfort and stability, but money was never something Peter mentioned. Some of the people they had working in the office were definitely in it for the money. They had their sights set on being corporate lawyers or working for insurance companies. Steve didn't much care as long as they were good at the job they signed on for at his firm. 

So it was that a month and a half after they hired Peter as their paid intern, Steve found it harder and harder to remain satisfied with the status of their relationship. He longed to spoil the boy openly, for Peter to know how he felt. He wanted to get to know Peter beyond simply what he was like at work. And yes, he wanted to bend Peter over the desk and learn all about his body and the sounds he would make.

Peter's passion for his work was part of the problem they were starting to run into. Peter seemed oblivious to the way Steve and Bucky treated him. The way Bucky's hands would linger on his arms or shoulders, the way Steve would look at him or open doors or pull out chairs for him. Steve might be a kinky bastard (as Bucky liked to call him), but he at least tried to be a gentleman. 

No matter what they did, though, Peter didn't respond beyond blushing in the moment or thanking them. They even took him out to lunch once a week, allegedly to check in on how he was doing with his work and if he had any questions. Peter simply took it in stride. 

It was now late October and Steve was starting to get frustrated. They hired him in late August and he had just finished his midterms. He had the look of a college student who was exhausted but kept doing everything he needed to do. Peter never complained about his lot. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy learning about legal issues. It was a rare thing, even among people who wanted to be lawyers. If he could keep it alive, he would have a promising future. 

At the moment, however, Steve wanted nothing more than to make some headway with Peter. He would even be satisfied if it turned out that Peter wasn't interested. It would be better than not knowing. 

He stood in front of a mirror in his home on a Friday morning. It was a week from Halloween. Bucky was already making plans to decorate their office for the evening. Halloween was one of Bucky's favorite holidays. He usually managed to rope Steve into a celebration of some sort. Last year he went to a costume party as a vampire and his thrall. Steve got to be the vampire, of course. 

Bucky had been planning their outfit this year for months. Easily since August. Of course, since Halloween was on a Friday this year, that meant that Tony Stark would be throwing one of his big costume parties that would be a front for having glamorous guests and lots of alcohol. On the surface, it would be half mixer and half crazy party. Tony himself wasn't a lawyer or in politics, but he was rich enough that he knew most lawyers and politicians in New York City. Or it seemed that way sometimes. His parties frequently hosted influential people in New York City politics, including lawyers. 

Steve hated politics, but lately he had started thinking of trying to become a judge. That meant making connections with powerful people who could make those decisions. It would probably be years until he actually became a judge if it happened at all, but he intended to do everything he could to make it happen. 

"So I was thinking this year we could go as a sailor and a merman," Bucky said as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. "The theme this year is fantasy, so it makes a sort of sense. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to think of cute couple's costumes for a fantasy theme?"

"Angel and demon," Steve said instantly. "Aragorn and Arwen."

"Oh sure, it's easy to just come up with something, but did you think about the aesthetic?" Bucky replied. 

"So you're going for Little Mermaid?" Steve asked. "Am I the merman or the sailor?"

"You do have better tits than me," Bucky replied with a playful nudge. 

"You're prettier than me," Steve shot back. "I would make a good sailor. Think I'd have to shave to make a convincing merman."

"Well, there was Triton," Bucky said. "He had a beard."

"That's true. Not sure how I feel about wearing a fake beard on top of my normal one," Steve said. 

"Fine, you can be the sailor," Bucky said. "I'll see my hair stylist so I look good for the party."

A thought occurred to Steve. "You know, we have a plus one," he said. 

"Yeah," Bucky said. "Tony always gives his guests a plus one no matter how many people are in the relationship."

"So I was thinking of extending an invitation," Steve said. Bucky raised an eyebrow at him.

"What happened to waiting for him to make the first move?" Bucky asked.

“It’s not the first move,” Steve said. “We’ll say that it would be a good opportunity to network and form connections.”

“How uncharacteristically duplicitous of you,” Bucky chuckled. “Does anyone actually do that at Stark’s parties?”

“Some people, certainly,” Steve said. “I do, when there are people worth networking with.”

“Steve Rogers, schmoozing at Tony Stark’s parties,” Bucky said to himself. “There was a time when I couldn’t have imagined you kissing up to anyone.”

“I prefer to see it as making contacts that might be advantageous in the future,” Steve said. “Besides, it’s not like I’ve promised any of them favors.”

“Good,” Bucky said. “Now about introducing Peter to this pool of sharks. What value is it actually going to be? He’s, what, 20 years old? People at these things aren’t always as trustworthy as we are. Can he handle it?” 

“You want one of us to have him stick around?” Steve asked. 

“You are planning on schmoozing,” Bucky said. “Teach him the ropes. That way the people he talks to behave themselves. Maybe also stop wearing your scent blockers for the evening.”

Steve paused. His tie was fine, as was the rest of his suit. He turned to fully face his husband. It was an unusual request for him. Steve was a prime alpha. His scent and pheromones were much stronger than the average alpha. You couldn’t tell someone was a prime alpha just by scent though. Some alphas just had poor hygiene or other conditions that caused their scent to be stronger in some way. 

Bucky enjoyed Steve’s natural scent. He found it comforting and pleasant and it helped him submit to Steve during their scenes. However, Steve wore powerful scent blockers out because people tended to unconsciously submit around a prime alpha’s scent. It always made him more self-conscious to go about without them. He even took to keeping some in his work office in case he forgot one morning. 

“You sure?” Steve asked. “People might get the wrong idea about who he is to us.” 

“Better they have the wrong idea than someone see him as a vulnerable omega easy to prey upon,” Bucky countered. 

“Fair point,” Steve said with a frown. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.” 

“The idea is fine, as long as we take precautions to ensure his well-being,” Bucky said. “I have a plus one, too. I’ll tell Peter to bring a friend of his along. That way he won’t be completely surrounded by intimidating people.” 

“Good idea,” Steve said. He checked his phone for the time. “We should get going.”

Bucky stepped away from the mirror and flashed one of his charming, debonair smiles at Steve. The kind that always made him feel weak in the knees. The kind that made him want to push Bucky down to his knees and see what that mouth of his could really do. 

“It’s gonna be a fun party this year, I think,” Bucky purred deeply. “I can’t wait to see what Peter dresses as if he accepts our invitation.” 

“You think he already has an outfit planned out, like you?” Steve asked as he turned to walk out the door and head down the stairs.

“He’s a college student in his 20s in the middle of New York City,” Bucky said. “I’m sure he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

* * *

Peter had no idea what he was doing. Of course, his predicament was not at all related to MJ’s plans for Halloween. They were dressing up as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, with Peter as Tinkerbell. Of course, Peter had never dressed up as anything so… revealing. The costume was so short that it barely covered his ass. 

It was a simple enough costume for a college student with a limited budget, but still. It was a skimpy, green dress with wings on the back and yellow leggings and green slip on shoes. The plan was to use copious amounts of glitter to complete the costume and claim that everyone who got some on them had “pixie dust”. 

Why Peter had agreed to this kind of outfit for Halloween was beyond him, but MJ had convinced him. It had been something about “subverting gender norms.” He couldn’t deny that the costume looked good on him when he tried it on. It made his ass look incredible, for one. He didn't doubt MJ got it tailored for him before she brought it to him. 

This was the last thing that was on his list of concerns at the moment. He was turning 21 tomorrow. Saturday nights were one of the best times to turn 21, of course, but it also meant that he would be distracted all day thinking about how he was going to celebrate. It was a Friday, after all, and even though it was one of his shorter days of work, he wasn’t going to be able to focus at all.

He sighed, letting a stream of cloudy breath escape his lungs. It was way too early in the morning to be thinking about that stuff. He walked out of his dorm and headed to the nearest metro station. It wasn’t a long walk. There were usually metro stations around big institutions like schools and Columbia was large enough that there were several stations near various parts of campus. 

It was nearing late October now and Peter pulled his coat around him. It wasn't cold enough to snow, but it was cold enough that the wind felt like it cut through him if he didn't wear a coat. He’d never liked the cold. Thankfully, he did like the fashions of autumn and winter, particularly scarves. The one he wore now was a soft burgundy tied in a Parisian knot. He was going to have to find a solution to that when he went out with MJ this year in that Tinkerbell costume. 

There was the other problem, too. Peter hadn't tried anything on Steve and Bucky yet. He had lied to MJ, not that he thought she believed him. She had a way of knowing when he was lying, but so far she hadn't called him out on it. He was determined to do something today. In theory. 

He was a bit more convinced that they might like him. They always seemed to laugh at his jokes for one. They seemed to touch him more and more. They were light touches for the most part. They happened mostly on his arms, or his shoulders. Though once Steve had touched him gently on the small of his back and it made Peter shiver and squirm with delight. He had tried to contain that.

He arrived at the office the same time he always did. It was starting to feel normal now. Arthur never did warm up to him, but he was civil now, as long as Steve and Bucky were around. Peter didn't let it bother him. The world was full of betas who looked down on alphas and omegas. 

He took his coat off in the elevator. The building seemed warm for some reason. Maybe it was just the heating system. It wasn't one of those state of the art skyscrapers, after all. Some buildings just ran warm in the colder months. It was definitely preferable to the heat not kicking in until it was literally freezing. 

He waved politely to Arthur when he arrived and walked past to his small office space. There were some files he hadn't finished last night that he wanted to have done before the morning meeting. He was scheduled to shadow Bucky today, so he wanted to have those done before he left. 

He fanned himself as he waited for the computer to start up. It was a bit old and it took a while sometimes. He didn't want to be sweating like a pig during the morning meeting. Hopefully it was just the building. His heat was scheduled to hit sometime next week. If it came early, it would ruin his birthday plans. It might be preferable to have it happen now rather than have to miss Halloween. 

He distracted himself with work as soon as his computer was started up. The form was an intake form. They had to be completed before Steve and Bucky could review them and decide whether they would take the case. They usually made such decisions at morning debriefings. This particular person was an omega who had been overcharged by her late mother's nursing home and was seeking help in making her case to the courts after the nursing home refused to correct the mistake. 

Peter had no idea if the woman's claim was valid or if Steve and Bucky would be able to help her. Their hands were usually pretty full as it was. They were even discussing bringing on more lawyers to help them with their work load. Peter was pretty sure they would. He'd only been there a month, but they were almost always getting requests from people to represent them. 

It was better to be busy than slow, but still, knowing they had so many requests for help and such limited ability to do so seemed to leave a bad taste in their mouths. If only Peter was older and actually had the ability to apply for such a job. Alas, it would likely be years before he could even think about that. The whole process of becoming a lawyer was lengthy for good reason, but Peter was impatient. 

He was nearly done with the intake form when Steve walked by. He usually stopped to say good morning. Peter had seen him and Bucky do the same with the other workers, though, so he didn't think much of it. This time, though, Steve stopped and scented the room. 

"Something wrong, Sir?" Peter asked.

"No," Steve replied. He sniffed again. "Did you forget your scent blockers or something?"

"I don't think so," Peter said. The question did nothing to help his feeling warm. "Why, does it stink in here?"

"Not at all," Steve said. "It smells quite nice, actually, but it's not usually this strong."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Peter said. "I can pick up some more scent blockers if you want."

"No need, I have some in my office you can borrow," Steve said. 

"I appreciate it," Peter said as he stood. He walked up to Steve to follow him to the office. He could have sworn that Steve scented him, but he stepped away quickly before Peter could be sure. His heart skipped a beat at the thought. 

The scent blockers were clearly meant for an alpha, but their basic function was to suppress a scent, so it didn't much matter. How different could they really be? He followed Steve to his office and walked up to his desk. Steve handed him a fresh batch of scent blockers. Peter gave it an experimental scent. It smelled faintly of alpha, even from a bit of a distance. They must be stronger than most other scent blockers. Peter recognized it. It was what Steve used to mask his own scent. It made Peter wonder what Steve smelled like naturally. 

"Are these okay for me to use?" Peter asked.

"Well, you might smell a bit like an alpha, but only to those with a good sense of smell or people who get close," Steve said. His face seemed a bit pink. Peter assumed that he must be affected by the heat of the building. 

"Thanks," Peter said. He applied the scent blockers to his scent glands. "I'll try not to make a habit of this, Sir."

"Probably for the best," Steve chuckled. "You ready for the meeting this morning?"

"Just finishing up the last of my intakes," Peter said.

"Good boy," Steve said. Peter smiled at that for some reason and his heart skipped a beat again. 

"Hey, uh, I was thinking," Peter said. 

"Yes?" Steve asked. Fuck, was that a purr in his voice? No, Peter decided, he was definitely reading too much into that. But what if it was? 

"Um, I was just, uh, wondering, if you wanted to, uh, get a drink sometime?" Peter asked. Steve smiled.

"How old are you again?" he asked.

"I'm actually turning 21 tomorrow," Peter said. 

"Well then," Steve said. He reached out and squeezed Peter's bicep. "Bucky and I would be happy to buy you a drink tomorrow. We'll make it a nice one so you start it out right."

"Thank you, Sir," Peter said with a broad smile. 

"Just be sure not to drink anything before we can get you that drink," Steve said with a smile. 

"Yes, Sir," Peter said.

"Good boy," Steve purred. That was definitely a purr. Peter's face felt like it was burning now. "Now, go get those intake forms ready for the meeting. I'll see you in a few."

"Yes, Sir, thank you, Sir," Peter said. He felt like he was walking on air as he left the room. He reached into his pocket to get his phone and texted MY.

Peter: _Guess who's taking ya boi out for drinks tomorrow!_

She didn't answer right away. She probably wasn't even awake right now. Peter had never met someone more averse to mornings. She would likely wake up right before her class at 11 and stroll into class right before it started still half asleep. He couldn't wait to hear her reaction.

* * *

Peter's day shadowing Bucky on his rounds was pretty normal. Bucky saw different people than Steve, of course, but it wasn't that different from a procedural sense. He gave the clients legal advice regarding their cases. Sometimes he recommended settling, sometimes he advices them on moving forward with a case in other ways. Peter found it all fascinating, usually, but today he found it increasingly difficult to focus. Bucky noticed, too. 

"Hey, kid, you feeling okay?" he asked around noon. "You look a bit flushed."

"I don't know," Peter said. "My heat isn't scheduled to hit until next week, but maybe it's early."

"That would explain the smell," Bucky said. Peter looked at him quizzically. 

"Steve gave me some of his scent blockers," Peter said. 

"If you're in pre-heat, scent blockers only work so well," Bucky said. "They're meant for everyday use. If Steve or I are in pre-rut, they're much less effective."

Peter looked down with mortification. "I'm sorry, I swear I didn't mean to be so unprofessional."

"Don't worry about it, Pete," Bucky said. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? Go get ready for your heat and we'll see you when you're done."

"Yeah," Peter said. "Thanks. It's lousy timing though. It's my 21st birthday tomorrow. Steve said you two would buy my first drink."

"We will," Bucky said with a smile. "We'll just have to wait until you're through your heat, first. It does suck that your 21st won't be fun, though."

"Yeah," Peter said. "I'll see you later, then."

"Take care of yourself," Bucky said. "And try to enjoy your heat."

Peter waved as he walked away. He wasn't in a familiar area, but he was from New York. He could figure out how to get back to his dorm. 

By the time he was back in his dorm room, he was starting to feel hot. It was the exact wrong time to feel this way. He was totally unprepared. Usually when a heat hit, he had a stash of gatorade and snacks available to him so he could eat something between bouts of arousal. He didn’t have any of that now. He had been too busy anticipating his 21st birthday, he figured he could go shopping tonight or over the weekend before his heat hit. 

He pulled his phone out and found the contact for his aunt. He always wondered why she bothered owning a car when she lived in New York City, but right now, he was relieved that she did. He wasn’t about to brave the metro system like this. 

“Hey, Peter, how’s it going?” she asked cheerfully when she picked up the phone. He almost sighed in relief when she did. 

“Not so good, Aunt May,” he replied. “My heat is about to hit and I don’t have anything ready. I thought it would hit next week.” 

“Oh, it happens, don’t worry,” she said. “Do you need me to pick you up?”

“Yes, please,” he said. “I could really use it.” 

“Okay,” she said. “I should be there in an hour. Just pack up whatever you need and hold tight until I get there.”

The wait went by quickly as he packed his bags with his usual nesting items. He had his softest sheets and blankets to start, since his heat made his skin extremely sensitive and anything other than these, which were designed with alphas and omegas in mind, tended to irritate him. 

He also packed all of his stuffies. He tended to cuddle them during heats because they gave him something to hold and scent. They would need a gentle wash afterwards, but otherwise, they would be unharmed. He had a polar bear, an arctic fox, two sea lions, a manatee, and three penguins. The irony that he hated the cold but loved animals that lived there perpetually did not escape him, but he gave it no thought now. 

Next came his collection of knotting dildos. It was a small collection of varying sizes. None of them were very fancy, but they were more than enough for what he needed during his heats. He idly wondered how they compared to Steve and Bucky’s cocks, if their knots were larger than what he had packed away in a box. His thoughts lingered on that in spite of himself until he finally shook his head and forced himself to get back to his packing. 

Finally, he packed a change of clothes. He would be naked for the most part when his heat started, so there was no need to pack much. He did laundry last night so there was no need to bring that. He chose a pair of soft sweatpants and an equally soft sweater. He wouldn’t care about style after the heat passed and he just needed something that he could wear comfortably for the rest of the day. 

It took Aunt May a little more than an hour to reach his dorm. When she did, he rolled his bags out the door and left a note for his roommate. It was just a basic thing. He and his roommate didn’t interact much. In fact, Peter was considering just getting an apartment near campus next year with MJ and a couple of their friends. 

None of that mattered right now, though. He felt a bit warmer than he had earlier. That was probably a sure sign that he was close to hitting his heat. He sighed. This was not how he wanted his weekend to go. He met his aunt at the front of the building and she hugged him gently. She sniffed and pulled away with a strange look. 

“Has an alpha been near you?” she asked. 

“Just my bosses,” Peter said. “One of them offered me scent blockers before the other realized I was going into pre-heat.” 

“Ah, okay then,” she said. She seemed satisfied by that as she took one of his bags. He almost sighed with relief that she didn’t ask further. God only knew what she would think about him being interested in two somewhat older alphas. 

The ride back took about as much time as it took her to get there. Traffic was almost always bad in New York. Still, it was good to know he was heading home. He texted MJ to let her know. She would let the rest of their friends know, in turn. Meanwhile, his aunt peppered him with questions about his classes, his job, his social life, and anything else she could think of. He answered them all as patiently as he could considering the circumstances. 

Finally, they arrived back at the apartment Peter grew up in. Even though it was much less impressive than Columbia, he still felt a sense of nostalgia when he saw it. It was a welcome sight. 

He took his bags up to the apartment door and into his room as soon as it was unlocked. Everything was just how he left it the last time he was here. There was a sense of nostalgia as he dropped onto his old bed. It only lasted a moment, though, before he got up and went to the linen closet. He had a collection of pillows of varying sizes that he only really used for his heats. 

He carefully arranged his pillows and sheets around his bed. His bed was elevated to give the illusion of a den when he was in heat. It was comforting and had always been his favorite way to go through one. In the back of his mind, he imagined Steve and Bucky being there, helping him prepare for his heat. He should have pushed the thought out of his mind, but instead he moaned and whined. He also felt a trickle of slick escape him and started to work faster. 

When it was finally done, he flopped into the nest and grabbed one of his stuffies to cuddle for a moment. It was one of the penguins. His heat still hadn’t hit yet, but he was feeling warmer than ever now. It would probably hit sometime tonight. There was a knock at the door and he looked up. 

“I made you some chicken soup,” Aunt May said on the other side. “Do you want me to bring you some or are you up for coming out?” 

“I’ll come out,” Peter said. He got up and took his penguin with him. He would need his strength for what came next.


	4. Chapter 4

Whatever hope Peter had of a good night’s sleep was dashed when he awoke in the middle of the night. His skin was hot and clammy. Slick dripped from his hole from a great void inside him that every instinct begged him to fill. He whined loudly, completely incapable of holding himself back. He kicked off the blankets first. They were too hot, too much. He couldn’t feel the cool air kiss his skin. He only felt each ragged breath he took burning like he was running a marathon. 

It took him nearly 15 minutes to think through the fog of hormones and arousal, to remember where he had put the dildo. He only had a few and he reached for the biggest one immediately. He reached back and arched his spine as he pushed it into his slick hole. He moaned and gasped as it pushed past the ring of muscle. 

He didn’t have the headspace to take it slow. He fucked himself fast and hard, as hard and fast as he could manage. He needed it, needed to be filled, to be fucked and claimed and bred. Knotted. 

He could feel it, the coil of pleasure winding like a serpent in his belly. It, too, had no use for anything but the fast, rough pace Peter set. With every thrust, the dildo brushed against his prostate. With each brush, Peter moaned. With every moan, the serpent inside wound more, ever nearing the moment it would release. 

All was dark. The only light in the room came from the street lamps and the clock on his nightstand, which Peter couldn’t think long enough to understand what time it was. Nighttime meant nothing in New York City. It meant even less to him now. Peter pounded his hole chasing his climax with a desperation of a man in a desert chasing a mirage. 

The moment he pressed the button and the dildo knotted him, he came. He moaned through his release, the dildo vibrating against his prostate. His come shot out of him like the coiled serpent had finally struck its prey. It seemed he would never stop, but as soon as he did, he started rutting against the knot, pressing it more against his prostate as he pushed back on it. He rode it like one of those mechanical bulls. He milked another orgasm from his body and soon after, a third. The knot never stopped vibrating. 

If he could think clearly, he would think that even for a heat crazed omega, three orgasms in the space of little more than an hour was hardly normal. However, he could not think clearly. The only thing he knew was that the third orgasm he milked seemed to make the raging lust inside him subside just a bit. Enough for him to deflate the knot and pull the dildo out of him for a moment. 

In an hour, he would start again, as though he’d never sated himself to begin with. For now, he simply lay down amidst the sheets and breathed. He wondered if the alphas would come for him, come find him. He needed them. 

Their faces were clear in his mind. A handsome man with blond hair and a kind smile, big and broad with thick fingers and shoulders who smelled like apple and cinnamon and aged whiskey. Another man with long, brown hair, a wide, charming smile, and an alluring metal arm with fingers that were just as thick as the others, and a bit longer. He smelled like snow and fir trees and gunpowder. 

They would be good alphas. They would give him a good nest and strong, healthy pups. Their cocks would fill the aching void inside him with come until there could be no doubt of his being bred. They would mark him with their scents. Come on his face, on his body, on his tongue. 

He would be theirs. 

Peter rolled over into a presenting position and pushed the dildo back inside him.

* * *

Steve stared at his hand. Actually, he was more glaring at it. Tonight had been a wash. A complete and total disaster. Nothing had gone right so far, and if his luck held out, nothing would go right. 

His hand held the jack and queen of spades. The king and ten of spades were on the board already, as well as the two of diamonds. If, by some miracle, the ace was under the other two cards that hadn’t been flipped, he would have a royal flush. 

On a normal night, this wouldn’t be a problem in the slightest. On a normal night, they would be playing with regular old $100 or just chips. On a normal night, this would be his best night yet and he would be hauling in money. 

However, that wasn’t what was happening tonight. Tonight was strip poker. Pepper sat to his right with Tony behind her, who was down to his black lace panties and red button down shirt. Whether he wore them because Pepper told him to or because he was simply in the mood to wear them, Steve had no idea. On his left sat Natasha with Pepper’s other sub, Bruce. Nat didn’t have a sub of her own yet, but she was willing to borrow one for this simple game. 

To Natasha’s left was Loki and his sub, Stephen Strange. Loki had his usual cheshire cat grin as Strange looked dutifully forward at nothing in particular while his only article of clothing left was a somewhat ridiculous cape. They were an odd couple sometimes, but they definitely had chemistry. Next to him and across from Steve was Thor and his sub, Peter Quill, a brat if ever there was one, and considering Tony, that was saying something. Finally, there was Jane and her sub, Darcy, who was dressed in lovely red silk lingerie. 

All of it reminded Steve of the increasingly annoying fact that Bucky, his own sub, was still mostly dressed. He didn’t have to turn around to know that all Bucky had removed so far tonight was his tie, socks, and scarf. Very little of his skin showed. It irked Steve. He wanted to see his husband naked. 

Not just his husband, but there was a reason why they had agreed to this poker night plan at the last minute. These people knew. They all knew about the omega he and Bucky were trying to seduce. The omega they were supposed to be out having drinks with right now. The omega who had gone into heat this afternoon during the last few hours of his shift. 

Steve wasn’t annoyed. These things happened. He was, however, annoyed that he hadn’t known sooner. Maybe he would have made an offer. To hell with waiting for Peter to make the first move. The boy was probably in the throws of heat right now and Steve and Bucky were not there to witness it, to fill their nostrils with his scent, to taste his sweetness, to feel him around their--

“Steve.” 

Steve blinked and cleared his throat as he adjusted himself in his seat. The movement did not go unnoticed. Several of the Dom/mes sitting at the table smirked and a few of the subs, too. Tony most notably did not even bother to hide his smile, though he was somehow able to remain silent, as instructed. Pepper trained him well. 

“What’d I miss?” he asked. 

“No, I’m more interested in what drew your attention so completely,” Loki said. He grinned his Cheshire smile, dripping with mischief and devious intent. “I, for one, have certainly never seen you so distracted.” 

“This omega boy must be quite the catch,” Natasha said. She had a slight, coy smile on her face. A private detective such as her missed little, if anything. 

“I plead the fifth,” he murmured. There was a chorus of groans. 

“You’re not getting out of this that easy,” Natasha said. She leaned forward and Steve put his cards down before she could get a hint at what he had. “Spill. What’s his name, what’s he like?” 

“His name is Peter,” Steve said. “He’s… our intern.” 

Tony let loose a wolf whistle, which elicited chuckles from around the table. Even Pepper laughed, even as she chastised him for breaking his silence. Tony didn’t even have the grace to appear apologetic. 

“College, I assume,” Pepper said. 

“Yeah, he’s turning 21 tomorrow,” Steve said. 

“Almost 21 still makes you a cradle robber, Rogers,” Tony said. “I’m so proud, I think I could cry. I always knew you had it in you to be naughty.” 

“That’s two now,” Pepper said. “Don’t let me get to three.” 

Tony snapped his mouth shut, but the playful smirk was still on his face. Steve didn’t need more. He’d never hear the end of this. Maybe Steve should’ve kept his mouth shut.

“Do the three of you have plans for the evening?” Thor asked. 

“No,” Steve said. 

“Whyever not?” Loki asked. 

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation,” Jane said. 

“He went into pre-heat this afternoon,” Bucky said. 

Steve didn’t bother sighing his disapproval. He turned to glare up at his boy. He had the grace to blush at his outburst. All the subs were told to stand at attention for the night while the Dom/mes played their strip poker. It was a fun, low stakes sort of scene, unless the subs used their three strikes. As it was, Steve was going to have some funishment when he got home with Bucky. 

“Ah, a pity, then,” Thor said. 

“No wonder you’ve been glaring all night,” Natasha said. “I imagine you two were looking forward to something else this weekend.” 

“I haven’t--”

“Rogers, if you finish that sentence, with what I think you’re going to finish it with, I swear I will hit you with Bruce’s shoe,” Natasha said. 

Steve paused. “It hasn’t been all night,” he grumbled.

“Hey, at least you two will have each other for company,” Jane said. “Better than being alone and pining after someone.” 

“I suppose that’s one way of putting it,” Steve said. 

“Well, I think that’s enough angst for tonight,” Pepper said. “Let’s see your cards, Steve.”

Steve looked down at the table. Sure enough, the ace of spades had appeared, making what would have been a good hand into the best. He flipped his cards over with a sigh. The only other person who was in play was Jane, who seemed utterly pleased with the result as Darcy grinned, a flush on her lovely cheeks, and proceeded to shimmy out of her red lace panties.

* * *

Peter panted. Sweat seemed to seep from every pore on his body. He couldn't think about how uncomfortable it was. He was buried under a pile of light sheets and the only thing he could think of was how desperate he was to be knotted, to feel an alpha at his back to present for, who would fill him up and breed him and maybe satisfy that insatiable itch that lay deep inside him. 

The image of that alpha in his mind alternated between Steve and Bucky. In brief moments of clarity, Peter tried to think of other alphas. Celebrities or such that he found attractive. That had been his usual habit in past heats. In this one though, the only alphas that came to mind in the moments when his mind and body were consumed with lust were his two bosses.

At the moment, he was fucking back on a dildo that was mounted to the wall with a suction cup. His arms had grown tired of fucking into himself so now he was propped in a presenting position. He was tired. Four days of this and so far, there was no relief. 

He vaguely remembered eating soup and drinking gatorade, but that was about it. He would wake up in the middle of the night desperate for a knot and fall asleep in the middle of the day with a knotted dildo in his ass. That part wasn't so bad. It gave the illusion of someone being there with him when he awoke, an alpha who was there to take care of him. It didn’t make the heat less exhausting, but it was a small comfort. 

He pushed back on the dildo and pressed a button to make it knot him. He came with a desperate, strangled moan. It was more of a dribble than anything else, but it was all his body was capable of making at the moment. The knot was large enough to make him feel full, but he still wondered if the real thing would be bigger. 

Would Bucky’s feel bigger? Would Steve’s? Would they both try to knot him at the same time during his heat? Would one try to knot his mouth and the other his ass or would they both try to knot his ass? Was that even possible outside the probably unrealistic porn videos he’d seen? 

He didn’t care. The fantasies ran through his mind every time he started using the dildo again. Every kiss of cold air against his skin became theirs, every thrust, every touch to his nipples, and squeeze against his flesh. He was almost tempted to go back to the office and present for them just so he could know what it would feel like if they did fuck him. 

If he had been in his right mind, that thought would have made him pause. He’d never been so desperate for a particular alpha in a past heat. It was always more of a general feeling, a desire to find an alpha and be knotted and claimed. It was pretty common from what he heard from other omegas. These fantasies, the obsession with particular alphas were almost always from people who were already mated. 

What would that feel like? To have their teeth biting into his scent glands, to be marked as theirs for the rest of his life. None of the stories actually talked in detail about what it felt like, so Peter had no idea what to expect, but the mere thought of them biting him, claiming him, made his feeble cock twitch with interest again. He almost groaned as he rutted against the knotted dildo again.

* * *

It was early the next morning when Peter woke up feeling cool. His skin was free of the hot, sticky feeling that usually came from sweating so much. His mind was clear and free from the rampaging hormones. He sighed with relief as he looked at the time. It was almost 10:30. He hadn’t been able to sleep in for that long in months. He felt both rested and exhausted, like his entire body had been through the wringer. 

Still, he got up and dressed himself in soft clothes. There was a pair of pyjama pants that he always wore after a heat because of how soft they were on his skin, which was often still a bit sensitive. He pulled on an equally soft sweater and padded out to the living room.

Aunt May looked up with a smile as he emerged. He smiled back at her. She had a laptop out, probably because she was working on something for her job. He sat down at the table and laid his head on his arms. 

“How do you feel?” she asked. 

“Exhausted,” he said. “I hate heats.” 

“You’ll change your mind when you have someone to share them with,” she said. 

“That’s what they keep telling me,” Peter replied. “I’ll believe it when it actually happens.” 

She got up and went to the table to sit next to him. She stroked his back gently and he allowed her older, familiar omega scent to calm him. She smelled like gingersnaps. It had been his favorite cookie growing up because it smelled like her. He purred gently. 

“You want to go out for lunch?” she asked. “You can shower and clean yourself off before we go. Or we can just order in if you don’t feel like leaving.” 

“Order in,” he said sleepily. “Can we get food from that Italian place?”

“Sure we can,” she said. “You want mozzarella sticks and chicken parmesan, right?” 

“Yes please,” he said. 

“I’ll order you a salad, too, so you can get some veggies in you,” she said. 

He nodded without protest. They had good salads and he was honestly starving. With just a little bit of regret, he pushed himself to his feet with a groan and trudged to the bathroom for a shower. He sighed as the cool water hit his skin. It felt amazing. One day, he was determined to know what it felt like to sit in a large bathtub after a heat and have an alpha take care of him. 

For now, though, he reached for his special body wash. It helped to sooth his skin after a heat and it smelled like cherry blossoms. He rubbed it slowly and gently into his skin, letting it lather up. He paid particular attention to his neck and his ass, since they were the places that were most sensitive after a heat. As he rinsed himself off, he almost felt as though whatever residual effects of the heat that were there washed away as well. 

His shampoo and conditioner had the same scent. He took his time washing himself. When he was done, he washed his face as well, wiping away the grime from the past few days. He emerged from the bathroom feeling like a new man and promptly flopped on the couch in the living room to await lunch. 

There was part of him that wanted to catch up on all the things he’d missed during his heat. Mostly class related things and if there was anything work related he needed to do. Some omegas talked about being able to have moments of clarity during heats when they could keep up with stuff so they weren’t completely behind when it was over, but Peter had never been able to do that. His heats were consumed by lust and need and the moment he emerged from them was like coming out of a stupor. 

The other part of him wanted nothing more than to lounge on the couch and rest. Four and a half days of heat did tend to make people tired. He could watch tv or play a video game or read a book or do any number of things that his job and his schooling didn’t leave him time to do. 

In the end, he opted to just check his email and leave it at that. He had emails detailing what he’d missed from his classes. Thankfully, he’d only actually missed two days of classes, so he wasn’t that far behind. He didn’t miss any assignments and his professors were understanding about his predicament. He suspected it was because at least a couple of them were omegas. In his experience, the only people who really expected alphas and omegas to keep up with stuff during their cycles were betas. 

There was, however, one email of particular interest. It was from Steve, and it was an invitation for him and a friend to join him and Bucky to a party on Halloween. It would be a big event with plenty of lawyers and politicians around. Steve presented it as a networking opportunity, but the invitation made Peter’s heart skip a beat. Going to a party? A fancy party? With Steve and Bucky? It sounded too good to be true. 

What’s more, Tony Stark was hosting the party. Where did Steve and Bucky get around that they got an invitation from THE Tony Stark? Maybe they were secret billionaires who ran away from their enormous fortunes to become lawyers because they believed so strongly in justice. 

That was probably unlikely, but it seemed as likely an explanation for why they knew Tony Stark as anything else Peter could think of. He didn’t even bother thinking about who he would drag along. MJ would probably kill him if he didn’t invite her. Slowly. Methodically. Leaving no evidence so that she would never face justice for his murder. He replied with his confirmation that he would love to go with them to the party and texted MJ about it immediately. 

As soon as that was done, he started up his Switch and started playing Animal Crossing. The world faded away to background noise as he proceeded to rid his island of the weeds and fossils that had accumulated in his absence. He could barely sit still with excitement, but somehow he managed. At least until MJ saw his text. He suspected she would call him to freak out about it when she did.

* * *

Peter could hardly contain himself the next morning. He was dressed impeccably and feeling refreshed after having spent a night back at college. He felt like he had butterflies in his stomach as he made his commute to work. He had, of course, told Steve and Bucky that he and MJ would be happy to go to the party with them. Peter had never felt so excited for anything or so glad that he already had a costume picked out. He wondered what Steve and Bucky would go as. 

Such thoughts followed him even as he reached the floor where their law office was located. Arthur was there, doing whatever it was he did for them as the office assistant. He spared the barest of glances for Peter. Peter didn't think much of it. Arthur was a sour sort of person, like he had been born with a lemon wedged in his mouth. Peter gave his usual greeting anyway. 

He went down the hall and saw the door to Bucky's office was ajar. He took a deep breath as he approached and knocked softly at the door. 

"Come in," Bucky called. 

Peter took another breath as he pushed through the door. It was just Bucky, with his sleeves rolled up and his jacket draped over the back of his office chair. Peter couldn’t help but stare at Bucky’s forearms. The contrast was beautiful. The vision of the flesh arm and the black metal with gold lines throughout always caught Peter’s eye. He had to force himself to look up and meet Bucky’s eyes. He was smiling warmly at him. It made Peter’s knees feel wobbly. 

“How are you feeling?” Bucky asked. “Did your heat go okay?” 

“It was fine,” Peter said. “Not fun to pass alone, but there’s not much to be done about that.” 

“I remember,” Bucky said. Peter fought to keep his face from blushing as he considered how long Bucky and Steve must have been spending their ruts together.

“So,” Peter said. He cleared his throat. “About this party on Friday…” 

“Yes,” Bucky said. His smile grew wider. “Steve said that you were going to come.” 

“Yeah, is there a dress code or something?” Peter asked. “Like, I’ve never been to a big billionaire party or anything. Should I dress up?”

“If you dress up, Tony will probably kick you out,” Bucky said. “He takes his partying seriously.” 

“You sound like you know him,” Peter said. 

“He and Steve are old friends,” Bucky said. “Their dads were friends before that.” 

Peter’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, so is Steve rich?” 

“He wasn’t always, but his dad became Tony’s lawyer at one point,” Bucky said. “That’s how he became interested in the field.” 

“Wow, so it’s sorta like a family business,” Peter said. “That’s so cool.” 

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Bucky said. “Steve has his own thoughts on the matter. Maybe he’ll tell you about it sometime. I probably shouldn’t have told you as much as I did, anyway.” 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried,” Peter said. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Pete,” Bucky said gently. He walked forward and took his shoulders in his hands. He squeezed gently as he looked down at Peter. “I said too much, you were just curious. Never apologize for things that aren’t your fault. It’s something that took me a while to learn.” 

“Okay,” Peter said. This close, he could smell Bucky’s alpha scent. It was a mix of scents that smelled particularly of winter, though the gunpowder scent seemed strange for some reason. He found it intriguing. He wondered what he smelled like to Bucky. 

“Is there anything else?” Bucky asked. He didn’t step away and Peter couldn’t help but feel warm again. He could feel his face heating up, but at the same time, he couldn’t step away. 

“What are you and Steve going as?” he asked. 

“He’s going to be a sailor,” Bucky said. “I’m going as a merman.” 

“Really? Wow, that’s so weird,” Peter said. 

“Weird? Why weird?” Bucky asked. “Don’t tell Steve I told you, but he’s a huge Disney fan. We were thinking of Little Mermaid.” 

“Well, MJ and I are going as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell,” Peter said with a grin. “Think Steve can manage to change his costume to Captain Hook?” 

Bucky grinned a wide, toothy grin. It was a conspiratorial, debonair kind of look and Peter couldn’t help but smile back at him. 

“I’m sure I could arrange for that kind of tweak to his costume,” Bucky said. “Who could pass up a chance to coordinate such a costume opportunity?” 

“Sure he’ll be okay with it?” Peter asked. 

“Oh, he’ll be fine. He leaves thinking up of costume ideas to me anyway,” Bucky said. “Besides, what’s he gonna do? Not wear anything to the party?” 

“There’s an image,” Peter chuckled. He stopped himself. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to--”

“You’re fine, kid,” Bucky said. He had a knowing twinkle in his eye. Peter worried briefly whether Bucky could read his mind. “You’re right, it’s certainly a pleasant image.” 

A creak at the door made Peter turn around quickly. Steve stood in the doorway and Peter stepped away from Bucky, his face flushing so hot he was sure it was red as a beet. Strangely, Steve didn’t seem the least bit offended. In fact, he seemed amused as he crossed his arms over his chest. Peter noticed that he also had his sleeves rolled up. Maybe he missed a memo, but regardless, it was not doing anything for his well-being to be surrounded by sexy alphas sexily displaying their sexy forearms. 

“What’s going on in here?” Steve asked. 

“We were just discussing our plans for Halloween,” Bucky said nonchalantly. “Namely costumes. And we mentioned Tony a bit.” 

Steve sighed. “Don’t ask him for his autograph, he’ll be talking about it all night,” Steve said. 

“You’re just worried that he’ll clean you out at your weekly poker night,” Bucky said with a grin. 

"As I recall, I played rather well last week," Steve said. For some reason that Peter couldn't place, he seemed a bit conflicted by that declaration.

"Do it again next week and it'll be really impressive," Bucky replied. 

"Or you could just quit and accept you have terrible luck," Peter said with a faint smile on his face. The two alphas looked at him and he felt his face heat furiously. "Sorry, that was out of line." 

"Not at all," Steve said. Peter looked at him. He seemed... amused. "It's just surprising. Anyway, I don't need luck, I have skill."

"Just not at poker, apparently," Peter said. Bucky threw back his head and laughed. Peter couldn't help but laugh, too. Steve looked like he was trying hard not to smile and failing.

“We have our meeting in 20 minutes,” Steve said. “Make sure you’re both finished discussing our plans by then.” 

“You got it, boss,” Bucky said with a mock salute. 

“And remember, Peter,” Steve said. He looked straight into Peter’s eyes and smiled. “We’re buying your first drink at the party on Friday. Be sure not to drink anything before then.” 

Peter swallowed. “Yes, Sir,” he said. 

“Good boy,” Steve said with a smirk. He walked out. Peter felt as though he was about to combust.

 _I’m just going to melt now_ , he thought. He also filed it away for later. He knew what he was going to do tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week flew by so quickly Peter hardly believed that it was Halloween come Friday. He'd been working overtime on the assignments he'd missed due to his heat. He was caught up now, and fully prepared for a fun weekend, starting with this party he was going to. He could hardly pay attention in his classes. As soon as his last class finished at 3, he raced to MJ's dorm room to get ready. 

Logically he knew the party wasn't starting until 9. He knew that he had plenty of time until Steve and Bucky would pick them up. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he needed to be ready as soon as possible. 

He entered to find her sitting on her bed doing homework. Her eyes seemed glazed over though. The book was from her business law class. Peter had avoided the class because, while required for his degree, he wanted to postpone it as long as possible. MJ hated it too, but her approach was to simply get it out of the way as soon as possible. As soon as he entered, she shut the book and tossed it on her desk. 

"Finally," she said. "That class is so annoying, I swear. I regret ever even considering life as a corporate lawyer."

"I'm surprised you ever actually considered it," Peter said. 

"You're right, I didn't, but you've gotta admit the paycheck would be enticing," she replied. 

"Not that enticing," Peter said. It was a half lie, but more because life with an aunt and uncle who lived paycheck to paycheck meant that having a good amount of money would always be something he wanted. In a just world, defense lawyers would be paid more than they actually were. 

"Yeah, guess not," MJ replied. "Well, the laws themselves are still interesting, even if I hate them."

"Enough about homework," Peter said. "You ready for tonight?"

MJ grinned and jumped off the bed. "Forget about taking me out if you end up with these lawyers of yours," she said. "Taking me to a big, fancy Halloween party more than makes up for it."

"I'm sure they would still help me take you out, anyway," Peter chuckled. 

“Speaking of the party,” she said. She took out a couple bottles of nail polish, one a neutral tone for his skin and the other one for hers. “I got a couple of these.”

“What are they?” 

“They’re the anti-roofie nail polish,” she said. “So if someone tries to tamper with our drinks, they’ll turn a different shade. I read online that it’ll turn red.” 

“Handy,” Peter said. “Good call, seeing as we won’t know anyone aside from Steve and Bucky.” 

“Exactly,” she said. “Besides, what’s the point of a fancy party if we don’t get drunk?” 

“You make a compelling case, counselor,” Peter chuckled. She rolled her eyes and shoved his nail polish in his hands. “Though I have an alternative.” 

“What, you gonna make a move on those two at last?” she asked. “Better get a move on, we only have like 6 weeks left of the semester before your time’s up.” 

“I thought you said that this party would count towards that,” Peter said. 

“I deny any such thing,” she said. “I didn’t say anything in writing or sign anything, so it’s not binding.” 

It was Peter’s turn to roll his eyes. He smiled though. It was just like her to weasel her way out of something like that. Not that he blamed her. In her position he might be the same way. 

The next few hours passed quietly, with Peter and MJ making plans and talking about what they might encounter tonight. He wondered how they would be picked up. Most likely they would arrive in person and they would use the metro transit. Peter knew hardly anyone who lived in New York who had a car, let alone someone who grew up here like Steve. Peter himself didn’t have a license and had never bothered to learn how to drive. 

Still, if they were one of the few people who did drive, it might be a nice change of pace. At least Peter wouldn’t have to go through the New York metro system in a skimpy costume. It was freezing tonight and he really wasn’t in the mood to ruin a perfectly good coat by getting glitter all over it. Maybe he was vain, but still, he’d rather keep what clothes he did have in good condition. 

They had a light dinner around 6 and started getting ready as soon as they were done. They were getting picked up at 8:45, which meant they would arrive at the party around 9:15. Probably. If the metro was on time, which it never was. Still, MJ informed him with some authority that no one ever arrived at a party on time. Her only experience was frat parties, but still, it was more than what Peter had. 

He had to shower and shave his legs as part of getting ready. MJ liked to go on about how shaving legs was just an impractical expectation society had for omegas, but Peter did like the feeling of smooth legs. Besides, he figured it would be a bit ridiculous to have hairy legs if he was dressing like Tinkerbell. He put his favorite aftershave balm. It was part of a cologne scent he bought earlier in the semester after he got paid one week. It had a pleasant initial scent that smelled like jasmine, bergamot, and orange that slowly deepened as time went on. He used it only for special occasions. 

It was expensive, but worth every penny. 

He felt just slightly ridiculous as he changed out of his clothes and pulled on his costume. The skirt went past his ass, but just barely. The long part sat three or four inches past the curve of his ass, so there would probably be no bending down. Or at least, only strategic bending down. There would definitely be no spreading his legs. Not at the party, anyway. 

The top was held by two transparent straps that also served as where the wings were attached. They were small pixie wings that always reminded Peter of dragonflies. If they were real, they would appear smooth and delicate. His shoes were a simple pair of slip-on shoes the same shade as his dress with a white puff ball attached at the toe. 

Lastly, there was the makeup, which Peter had much less experience with than other omegas. Many male omegas wore it, of course, but he had never really gotten in the habit. Thankfully, MJ was more experienced in this department. 

He half expected that she would have an elaborate look for him planned out, but it turned out that she didn’t. She had a simple shade of lip gloss that was similar to his natural shade. The rouge was similar and only added a faint pink to his cheeks that blended nicely when she was done. Lastly, she had a bit of glittery, gold eyeshadow and black eyeliner. 

Finally, he was done and all that was left to do was to cover himself in the gold body glitter that would act as his “pixie dust”. They put some on his face, of course, and a great deal on his arms and the part of his chest left exposed by his costume. They also put a little less on his legs, since he was less likely to touch anyone with them. 

When it was all done, they took an obligatory selfie in the bathroom with Peter and his sparkly Tinkerbell outfit and MJ with her much simpler Peter Pan. She even had the hat with the red feather and emerald green leggings. 

“Those alphas of yours are gonna be blown away when they see you,” she said. 

“I’ll make sure to leave you a good review,” Peter said. 

“Or you could just pay me,” she said. “Especially if you get laid tonight.” 

“So I not only have to take you out to a nice dinner but I have to pay you for helping me with my makeup?” 

“Relax, I’m joking,” she said. “Though I gotta say, if they don’t want to sleep with you after tonight, I don’t think there’s gonna be much hope for you.” 

That thought settled in Peter’s stomach like a millstone. If he showed up like this and they really weren’t interested… if he had totally misread the signs… he’d probably have to look for a new job simply because he would be so mortified. Unfortunately, how many people would be willing to take an intern and pay him? Steve and Bucky were probably two of a kind. 

_God, I hope this works,_ Peter thought.

* * *

All in all, Steve felt much less ridiculous than he usually did in these couple’s costume ideas Bucky came up with. Last year, he came up with a costume idea where he was a cowboy and somehow Steve ended up being the horse. It was… not the most enjoyable costume experience he’d had. 

This year, though, he was Captain Hook. It was Disney and Steve loved Disney, a fact that seemed to surprise people for some reason. People seemed to think that because he was a stereotypical alpha that he had to like stuff like action movies and explosions and such. The fact that Steve preferred Disney and musicals and biopics seemed to shock people and cause people to question him as an alpha, let alone a prime alpha. 

Bucky was next to him, somehow dressed in a faux leather catsuit that looked a bit like a crocodile. Only the left arm of the suit was missing to expose his black metal arm. He managed to make it look both sexy and gorgeous. He growled possessively when he saw Bucky emerge from the closet with the costume on. It hugged him in all the right places. His ass and legs looked amazing and his torso showed a hint of his muscular chest. Steve didn’t complain.

He still had no idea what Peter was going as or why Bucky made the last minute change in their costume from sailor and merman to Captain Hook and a sexy crocodile. So since he didn’t know how warmly Peter and his guest would be able to dress, he got the car started and braved the New York streets instead of taking the metro. Steve wasn’t about to let them go out in the cold of New York. 

Even wearing a heavy coat left him cold enough that Steve went and got the car ready before Bucky was even out the door. Bucky called him a mother hen. Steve preferred to think of it as him taking care of his baby boy. 

Driving through Brooklyn to Manhattan to pick up Peter was oddly relaxing, for all that driving in New York could be hectic. Steve hardly ever drove these days, but he did enjoy it. When he finally managed to find a place to park that was relatively near the campus, he left the car running so Bucky wouldn’t get cold. 

“I can go with you, Steve,” Bucky said. 

“Stay here,” Steve replied. “I’m not letting you get out until we get to the party. The last thing we need is you coming down with a cold.” 

Bucky grumbled but he obeyed. Steve leaned over and kissed his cheek. 

“Good boy,” he said. 

Bucky smiled and turned his face to kiss Steve’s lips. Steve hummed against him and kissed him again. One kiss became two, two became three, at which point a cold wind blew, and Steve groaned as he pulled away with a shiver. It would be a long night tonight. 

He walked briskly through the cold night air towards the dormitory Peter said he lived in. He texted Peter to let him know that he was on his way. He exhaled a long breath and watched the cloud it formed before the wind blew it away. He couldn’t wait to see what Peter’s costume was. He had tried to get Bucky to tell him what Peter was dressing as, but Bucky adamantly refused, with that cheeky grin on his face that always meant that he wasn’t going to tell him. 

He turned the corner at the end of the block and approached the dormitory. As he got closer, he could see people in the ground lobby through the window. They were dressed in costumes, but he couldn’t really tell from this distance. As he neared the building, his mouth went dry. One of the people in the lobby was dressed as Peter Pan… and it was not Peter. The other, who had to be Peter, was dressed as Tinkerbell. 

Steve had to stop to appreciate the view for a moment. Peter was beautiful. His lovely skin practically glowed before Steve realized that he was probably wearing glitter. The skirt Peter wore hugged his ass with tantalizing firmness and long, lovely legs that seemed to go on forever emerged beneath. 

It was going to be a _very_ long night. But not as long as Peter's legs, good Lord.

He took a deep breath and approached the dorm. He knocked softly on the window and waved as they turned. Peter blushed and smiled shyly as he approached the door to let him in. 

“Hello, Sir,” Peter said. God, Steve was going to have to find a way to get through the night of Peter calling him that while in this costume. This boy would be the death of him, Steve just knew it. 

“Hey, Pete,” Steve said. “Since we’re going to a party tonight, you could probably just call me Steve.” 

“Yeah, I’m just comfortable calling you that,” Peter replied. “Thanks though.” 

His friend seemed to give him a sly, meaningful look. Steve wondered if Peter talked about him and Bucky to her. He held out his hand. 

“Hi, I’m Steve Rogers,” he said. 

“Mary Jane,” she said. “Everyone calls me MJ though. Nice to finally meet you.” 

“Good to meet you, Peter’s mentioned you on occasion,” Steve said. 

“I’m sure he’s shared all sorts of stories,” MJ said with a smirk. There was definitely something he was missing here, but friends often had inside jokes, so Steve didn’t pry. 

“Tell me you two have coats,” Steve said. “It’s freezing out there and I’m not taking you anywhere Unless you’re prepared.” 

Peter walked over and picked up a trench coat. MJ did the same, but with a smaller, heavy coat. Steve nodded as they put them on. He wished he’d found a closer parking spot, but there was nothing to be done for it. It was a cold night and they would just have to be quick. 

“Let’s get going,” Steve said. “Thankfully the car will be warm by the time we get there.” 

“Told you,” MJ said. Peter sighed. 

“Did you honestly think that we were going to be using the metro on Halloween?” Steve asked. 

“Well… yeah,” Peter said. “This is New York and you grew up here. Kinda figured you didn’t drive.” 

“Well, I do, for reasons like this,” Steve said.

“Do you pick up many omegas?” MJ asked. 

“Not usually, no,” Steve said with a grin. “This is something of an exception.” 

“You said it was a networking opportunity, right?” Peter said. 

“Yes, but you’re also supposed to have some fun,” Steve said. “It is a party, after all, and Tony would never let me hear the end of it if I brought you just to work. To be honest, neither would Bucky.” 

“Besides, you’re buying the drinks tonight, right?” MJ said. 

“That’s the plan,” Steve said. “Though most of the drinks are provided by Tony, anyway.” 

“That’s nice of him,” Peter said. 

“Just remember to drink responsibly,” Steve said. 

“Yes, Sir,” Peter said. Steve hummed to himself. If he was lucky, tonight would lead somewhere. He wasn’t sure what they would do with MJ, but there would surely be something. Maybe if Peter agreed to go back to Steve and Bucky’s home, they could simply set up one of the other spare rooms for her.

“Do you have everything you need?” Steve asked. “Wallets, ID’s, phones?” 

“Yup,” Peter said. He held out his phone. “Actually, can you hold onto this? My costume doesn’t exactly have pockets and I don’t want to lose it.” 

“Sure,” Steve said. He pocketed the phone. “Now bundle up, it’s a bit chilly tonight.”

The walk back to the car was slower due to busy traffic. Steve almost stopped to warm Peter up once or twice, but he still didn’t have permission for that, so he restrained himself. But oh, how he longed to feel Peter’s body against his own, feel those long, beautiful limbs against him and Peter’s adorable face against his chest.

When they got back to the car, Steve opened one of the back doors for them and they slid inside. Only then did Steve realize that Peter was going to get gold glitter all over his almost new car. It would never, ever come out. He sighed quietly as he closed the door. The things he let this boy do… maybe if they did end up with Peter he could give him a spanking as funishment for this.

* * *

Of all the places to have a Halloween party, the Natural History Museum was not one of the places Peter would have expected, especially for a billionaire like Tony Stark. Maybe it was a publicity stunt or something so he could schmooze with famous people. That would make sense, it was the sort of thing rich people did, right?

They stopped by the front door and Steve tossed his car key to the valet. He made it look so natural that Peter had to wonder how many of these fancy parties Steve and Bucky went to. He glanced at MJ who just shrugged. Steve and Bucky didn’t make any comment either, so Peter didn’t bring it up. A valet was certainly convenient if you lived in New York. 

The Natural History Museum was always impressive, though Peter rarely had the time to go there for recreation. The tall, concrete columns led to a beautiful, marble interior. The dinosaur skeleton exhibits that lay just inside the entrance seemed to show just how amazing the place was, as though parts of the past had been placed here naturally to fill the people who entered with a sense of awe and wonder. 

That’s what Peter felt as he entered the building, anyway. He smiled broadly at the sight of the T-Rex inside. He used to love dinosaurs so much when he was a kid that he would beg Aunt May and Uncle Ben to take him to any dinosaur exhibits he could find. The thought of Ben sent a stab of melancholy through him, but he put it aside. He was going to enjoy this. 

“I haven’t been here in ages,” Peter said. “I think the last time I came was when I was in high school.” 

“For that field trip, yeah,” MJ said. “Mr. Harrington managed to make it happen, probably because he hoped it would motivate us.” 

“It was a fun field trip, anyway, aside from Flash trying to dunk my head in the toilet when I went to the bathroom,” Peter said. 

“You two went to high school together?” Steve asked. 

“Yep, Midtown School of Science and Technology,” MJ said. “Sounds fancier than it actually is.” 

“MJ and I were on the Decathlon team,” Peter said. “And wow, that is totally the nerdiest thing I could’ve told you about myself.” 

“If it makes you feel better, I was in marching band,” Steve said. Peter’s eyes went wide and he raised his eyebrows so high they were trying to join his scalp. This huge alpha was seriously in the marching band? “I played the sousaphone and tuba when we weren’t competing.” 

“Badly,” Bucky coughed.

“What was that?” Steve asked. Peter tried not to laugh. 

“Nothing, dear,” Bucky said sweetly. Peter glanced at MJ, who wasn’t bothering to hide her amusement. 

“Right,” Steve said. 

“I can’t believe it,” Peter said. “I figured you would’ve been on the football team or something.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, kid,” Steve said with a wink. Peter felt his face warm and hoped his glittery face hid it. It probably didn’t do anything, but there was always hope. “Now, do you want to play the tourist before the party really starts or do you want to meet people?”

“Think we can find a drink and then be tourists?” Peter asked. Steve chuckled and offered Steve his arm. 

“Absolutely,” he said. 

Peter's face warmed even more as he took it. He didn’t know where anything was in this place, but Steve seemed to know where to go as he guided them through the crowd. There were security personnel everywhere, probably museum staff to make sure no one damaged the exhibits tonight. Peter couldn’t blame them. How many artifacts were on display and how much scientific research had gone into making them? Peter would want to ensure nothing happened to them, too.

All around the room were people dressed in extravagant costumes. Some of them were gorgeous, while others were simply gaudy. Others were just bad or lazy. Peter could spy a few people who had decided to not even try to wear a costume and instead came in a three piece suit and would probably say they were a detective or a politician or something like that. How many of them actually were politicians? He suddenly felt a lot better about his costume, as showy and bright as it was.

“So what else did you do in high school aside from marching band?” Peter asked as he looked up at Steve.

“I took art classes, mostly,” Steve said. “I was also a photographer for the school yearbook.” 

“Oh my gosh, me too!” Peter said. “My last job was actually at the Daily Bugle taking pictures for news articles.”

“I remember you mentioning that,” Steve said. “Have you kept up the hobby?” 

“No, between work and school, I don’t tend to have much free time,” Peter said. “Not that I’m asking for less work, because I enjoy it, but… you know, it is what it is.” 

“Indeed it is,” Steve said. “I had to work in a coffee shop for most of my undergrad career. It was much less glamorous than it sounds.” 

“Honestly, that was going to be my back up plan,” Peter said. “Sorry, didn’t mean to talk about work.” 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s an occupational hazard,” Bucky said from beside him. He had taken MJ’s arm, though MJ seemed much more interested in what Peter and Steve were doing. 

“I’ll try not to do it again,” Peter said. 

“And we’ll try our best not to ask you how school is going,” Steve chuckled. “I know I always hated that when I was in school.”

“It does kinda get old,” Steve said. “Especially when you go to an Ivy League school. Everyone expects you to be a genius and amazing at what you’re studying.” 

“Either that or they expect you to be a rich kid who doesn’t need good grades or study habits to make it through school,” Bucky said. 

“You guys sound like you went to one,” Peter said. 

“Yale,” Bucky said. “That’s where we met, actually.” 

“Yale? Really?” Peter asked with mock derision in his voice. Seeing as he got a full ride at Columbia, he felt some instinctual need to look down on the other Ivy League schools. Steve and Bucky just grinned at him. 

“I got in based on my grades and got a pretty decent scholarship,” Bucky said proudly. “Stevie here got in because of his dad.” 

“It was not just because of my dad,” Steve growled lightly. “Though I guess it did help, especially since it wasn’t my first choice.” 

“What was your first choice?” Peter asked. 

“The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I wanted to study art starting out and I decided to go there instead of Yale,” Steve said. “I guess it was an act of teenage rebellion. I figured I could do activism on the side, but pretty soon, I decided that I couldn’t just sit by and just focus on art, so I started applying for pre-law programs.” 

“I can relate to that,” Peter said. “I thought about studying photography for a while. Figured I could make a good career out of it, but then I realized that it wasn’t what I really cared about.” 

“It’s a difficult life, but I’d say it’s rewarding in its own way,” Steve said. 

“Now that we’ve got something of a reputation, anyway,” Bucky said. “And now you’ve got us talking about work again.” 

“Sorry, Bucky,” Peter said with a sheepish smile. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Bucky said with a grin. “Like I said, it happens, especially in this field. People always end up talking about work.” 

“What about you, Bucky?” Peter asked. “Do you have any hobbies?”

“I was on the football team when I was in high school,” Bucky said. “Still catch games every Saturday and Sunday.” 

“He gets loud,” Steve chuckled. 

“The word you’re looking for is ‘passionate’,” Bucky said. 

“What are your teams?” MJ asked. 

“The Vikings,” Bucky said. “And Ohio State for the college leagues.”

“Really? Not a local team?” she asked. 

“I grew up in Indiana,” Bucky said. “Those are the local teams.” 

“What about Notre Dame?” Peter asked. 

“My family said I couldn’t root for them because we’re Jewish,” Bucky said. “You know, because it’s a Catholic school.” 

“Really? Me too!” Peter said excitedly.

“Really? Wow, it’s good to meet another Jewish kid,” Bucky said. “It’s still sometimes shocking to know how many I meet here. There were only a handful where I grew up and my family had about half of them.” 

“Well,” MJ interjected. “As fascinating as all this is, I’m feeling like actually getting a drink. Peace.” 

“You want us to go with you?” Bucky asked. 

“Nah, don’t worry about it, I’ll catch you guys later. Don’t behave yourselves,” she said. 

“Tell them to send the bill to Steve Rogers,” Steve called. She gave him a thumbs up and turned away. With that, she walked purposefully towards the bar and disappeared into the crowd. 

“She’s certainly sure of herself,” Steve said. “I think you have good taste in friends.” 

“Thanks, she definitely knows her own mind,” Peter said. 

“We’ve distracted you from what you wanted,” Steve said. “There’s another bar in the dinosaur exhibit.”

“Let’s go!” Peter said excitedly. He cleared his throat. “I mean… let’s go.” 

Steve hooked his arm around Peter’s waist and let his hand rest at the small of his back. Peter gasped at how it felt when he noticed Bucky doing the same from his left side and felt his hand settle on Peter’s hip. He looked between them. They looked down at him with gentle smiles. 

“Is this okay?” Steve asked quietly. 

“Yeah,” Peter said. “It’s very okay, Sir.” 

Something dark flashed in Steve’s eyes and his smile became ever so slightly… different somehow. It made Peter shiver in a good way. He definitely wanted to see more of that. 

“Good boy,” Steve said. _That_ made Peter shiver more and Steve’s smile grew before Peter could pretend he hadn’t done it. “Let’s go get you that drink.” 

Peter nodded and allowed them to lead him deeper into the museum. All around them were exhibits that Peter found fascinating… or he would any other time. Birds and animals and fish and all other kinds of exhibits that Peter wanted to look at. Right now, though, all he could think about was the alphas he was sandwiched between. 

Sure enough, they turned into the dinosaur exhibit, a whole room that was just fossils or recreations of what scientists thought dinosaurs might have looked like in the days of yore. Right in the middle of the room, though, well away from any exhibits, was a makeshift bar. They walked right up to it and Steve waved down the bartender. 

“What do you want?” Steve asked. “You can ask for anything, I’m sure they can make it happen.” 

“Got anything for the holiday?” Peter asked. 

“May I see your ID?” the bartender replied. Steve handed Peter his phone and Peter took his ID out from a small pouch attached to his phone case. The bartender looked it over and handed it back to Peter. “We have several drinks for the occasion. We have a maple, bourbon, and orange cocktail drink called the Haunted Graveyard that comes with a piece of smoking rosemary.” 

“I’ve never tried bourbon,” Peter said. “Is it good?” 

“It’s something of an acquired taste,” Steve said. “My father used to say that it would put hair on my chest. That said, I like it a lot and the stuff here will be good quality.” 

“Did it? Put hair on your chest, I mean,” Peter said. Steve smirked. 

“Maybe you’ll get to find out sometime,” Steve replied. “If you really want to.”

Peter cleared his throat. He really needed that drink. “I think I’m satisfied with the amount of hair I have on my chest for now.” 

“If you would prefer something sweeter, might I suggest the Witch’s Brew?” the bartender asked. “It’s a cocktail with melon liqueur, orange juice, and lemon-lime soda.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Peter said. 

“Coming right up, sir,” the bartender said. 

“I’ll take that Haunted Graveyard,” Steve said. 

“And a white Russian, please,” Bucky said. 

“With or without pumpkin spice?” the bartender asked. Bucky grimaced. 

“Without, thank you,” he replied. 

“What?” Peter asked. “You don’t like pumpkin spice?” 

“I hate pumpkin spice,” Bucky replied fervently. “Especially not in my alcohol or my coffee.” 

“Ironically, I love pumpkin spice,” Steve said. “It’s one of the few types of sweets I enjoy.” 

“Wow,” Peter said. “I would never have guessed.” 

The bartender slid a martini glass filled with bright yellow liquid to Peter with some kind of black dust around the rim. Peter took an experimental sip. It was sweet, tangy, and a bit fizzy. Peter found he liked it quite a bit, even if he wasn’t sure how much actual alcohol was in it. The bartender delivered Steve and Bucky’s drinks and Steve requested that he open a tab. 

“So your family,” Peter said as he looked at Bucky. “If they don’t like rooting for a Catholic school, does that mean they’re more orthodox?” 

“No, I just think that they liked being contrary more than anything,” Bucky said. “I think they realized everyone around us rooted for Notre Dame and decided they wanted to be different. They also root for Southern California when the teams play.”

“They sound like they have lots of friends,” Peter said. 

“I suppose that’s one way to put it,” Bucky chuckled. “Still, if my ma ever pays an unexpected trip to the office, you’re to answer ‘yes’ to any questions regarding whether I’m kosher.” 

“I know the feeling,” Peter said. “My aunt May is fairly kosher and she likes to pepper me with questions about it whenever I’m home.” 

“Do your parents ever step in?” Steve asked. 

“No, I live with my aunt,” Peter said. “Always have.” 

And just like that, there was a tension in the air. Peter hated it, but usually it went away pretty quickly. All in all, he didn’t really see his life as being that different from everyone else’s. He was a single kid who was raised by two adult relatives who happened to not be his parents. It was really ordinary, despite the fact that Peter never really had anyone he called “mom” or “dad”, just Aunt May and Uncle Ben. 

“I’m--” 

“It’s okay, really,” Peter said. “I don’t need apologies or pity for it. So don’t worry about, okay?” 

“Well,” Steve said. He raised his glass. “To family, then. And to your health, Peter. Happy belated birthday.” 

Peter smiled as the three of them toasted. He took the opportunity to really look at Steve and Bucky’s costumes. Steve’s pirate/Captain Hook costume was pretty spot on, aside from the notable lack of a hook. It was apparently in a pocket. He had knee high boots that hugged his thighs, tight black pants, a red coat that looked suitably old-fashioned, a ruffly thing over his chest, and a fancy hat with a fluffy feather sticking out. All in all, Peter was quite satisfied with it. 

Bucky’s costume was as simple as Steve’s was elaborate. Up close and in good lighting, he could see that it was indeed faux crocodile leather. At least he figured it was fake, he couldn’t imagine Steve and Bucky buying a whole catsuit made of real crocodile leather. It was skintight and hugged absolutely everything. Peter had to force himself not to openly ogle Bucky and… certain regions of his body. Peter almost expected him to burst out of the costume at any given moment. 

He was glad that MJ insisted on so much preparation. He would’ve felt so underdressed otherwise. 

“I thought you said you were going as a merman,” Peter said. 

“I decided to change it when you said that you and your friend were going as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan,” Bucky said. 

“He conveniently forgot which one you were going to be,” Steve muttered as he took a sip from his whiskey. 

“Do you like it?” Peter asked with a shy smile. He resisted the urge to spin around. Barely. 

“You look amazing tonight, Peter,” Steve said. 

“Yeah, you definitely blew all of my expectations out of the water,” Bucky said. “Did MJ help you or did you do this all yourself?” 

“She helped a lot with getting ready, yeah,” Peter said. He took another sip of alcohol. He was really starting to feel warm. “I’m glad it was worthwhile.”

Bucky reached back to trail his fingertips along Peter’s spine. Peter shivered and smiled up at Bucky. 

“I especially like what you’ve done with the glitter,” he murmured. “You look beautiful.” 

That was a comment that definitely warranted another sip from his drink. A long one. He smiled, though, and stepped a bit closer to Bucky. 

“You think so?” he asked. 

“Doll, you look stunning and I think you know it,” Bucky said. Peter looked up at Bucky then. His face felt very warm and he smiled. 

“I’m not as fragile as a doll, you know,” he said. 

“Well, that’s certainly good to know,” Bucky said. “But you’re still pretty like one.” 

“Thanks,” Peter said. “I think you guys are pretty… pretty, too. I mean, not pretty, handsome! You’re handsome! Hot, even! Oh, god this isn’t going how I pictured…” 

“It’s okay, Pete,” Steve said. He reached out and rubbed a thumb across Peter’s cheek. “We get it.” 

“Yeah, Stevie calls me pretty all the time,” Bucky chuckled. 

“So… you don’t mind?” Peter asked. 

“Mind what?” Steve asked. 

“That… I f-find you a-attractive,” Peter said. 

“Of course not,” Steve said. 

“As long as you don’t mind that we’re married,” Bucky said. 

“Are you…?” Peter trailed off. Steve cleared his throat. 

“While it may not be entirely proper,” he said. “We do find ourselves interested in courting you, if you’re interested in being courted.” 

Peter smiled. It was a big, goofy grin that he tried to bury in his martini glass.

“I think I owe MJ a nice dinner,” he said. “She told me a while back that you two were interested in me.” 

“We did try and make it somewhat obvious,” Bucky chuckled. He moved closer. “You didn’t make it easy.” 

“Sorry, I just… w-wanted to be sure,” he said. “I’ve never done anything… like this.” 

“We can go slow if you want,” Steve said. “Whatever pace you’re comfortable with.” 

“I… I think I’d like that, honestly,” Peter said. “But I’m glad that we’re out in the open now. Does this count as a date.” 

“It does now,” Steve said. “We can do something a bit smaller next time to get to know each other better.” 

“I just have one question at the moment,” Peter said. 

“Yes?” Steve asked. Peter licked his lips and hoped that this liquid courage was working. 

“Can… I h-have a-a kiss?” he asked. 

Steve smiled hungrily and leaned down. His lips met Peter’s and Peter gasped. It wasn’t hard. Steve was gentle, but firm. It was a claiming kiss. Peter could taste the bourbon and rosemary on Steve’s tongue. It took him a bit, but he kissed back as best as he was able as he snaked his free arm around Steve’s neck. 

It was almost torture when Steve pulled back. His beard and coat were covered in gold glitter. Peter would’ve giggled if he had the breath to do so. He practically leaned against Steve, trying to catch his breath. 

“Wow,” he said. “That was… amazing.” 

“It looked amazing,” Bucky said. 

Peter turned to face the other alpha. Before he could ask his question, Bucky took his face in his surprisingly gentle hands and kissed him. It was a softer kiss than Steve’s, but no less claiming. It felt more like a dance, a rhythm that Peter could follow easily. Peter tasted something similar to chocolate on Bucky’s tongue and all he wanted was to taste that all night. 

Eventually, though, Bucky pulled away as well and Peter had to fight to keep himself standing upright. His free hand reached out to steady himself and touched Bucky’s metal arm. It was smooth and cool to the touch. Bucky reached out to support Peter. 

“Thanks,” Peter said. “I… I feel a bit lightheaded.”

“We should find a place to sit,” Steve said. Peter nodded and let the two alphas guide him to a bench at the edge of the room. It was near a skeleton of a stegosaurus, which was always Peter’s favorite dinosaur. He liked the spikes on their tails and the plates on their backs. As soon as he sat down, Steve gently pried Peter’s drink from his hand. It was mostly empty at this point anyway. 

“Do you want some water?” Bucky asked. 

“Probably good if I have some,” Peter said. 

“I’ll go,” Steve said. 

“Can you find MJ?” Peter asked. “I’m sure she can take care of herself, but I’d still like to know.” 

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Steve said. The way he said it felt like a warm, woolen blanket settling around Peter’s body. He lay his head on Bucky’s shoulder as he watched Steve go. 

“I still kinda feel like this is a dream,” Peter said. “Wow that was so cheesy.” 

“Don’t worry, it’s real,” Bucky chuckled. “I think that kind of feeling is normal at your age.” 

“You make me sound like a kid,” Peter said. 

“Well, you are a bit younger than us,” Bucky replied. 

“I guess that’s true,” Peter said. “I’m glad it doesn’t bother you.” 

“Can I ask you a question, since we have a moment?” Bucky asked. 

“Sure.” 

“Have you ever been in a relationship before?” Bucky asked. “A serious one?” 

“No,” Peter said. “Haven’t really had a whole lot of time for serious relationships, really, but I always wanted one.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, like, when I was in high school, I didn’t see much point in dating the alphas or betas or anyone else because I didn’t have feelings for them,” Peter said. “I saw a lot of other people do it, but I never saw the point for myself unless there was something there to make it worthwhile.” 

“Makes sense,” Bucky said. “I think it’s more fun when you care for the person anyway.” 

“I hope so,” Peter said. Bucky kissed his temple. Peter purred contentedly. “I think I like the kissing, anyway.” 

“That’s good. So do I,” Bucky said. 

It took another 10 minutes for Steve to return with MJ in tow. She had a glass of champagne in her hand and she gazed at Peter with a smug, assessing look on her face. Peter just smiled sheepishly. 

“Told you so,” she said. 

“Yeah, I know,” Peter replied. 

“Well, the night is young, as they say,” Steve said. “Would you care to mingle, Peter? Or do you want to tour the museum?” 

“Tour,” Peter said. “It sounds more fun, honestly.” 

“Fair enough, we can teach you the art of schmoozing another night,” Bucky said as he stood up. Peter followed suit. 

“Was that really the plan for a first date?” MJ asked. “Not exactly high romance.” 

“It was the backup plan in case Peter didn’t seem interested,” Steve said. “Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.” 

Steve extended his elbow to Peter. Peter smiled and took it. Bucky did the same from the other side and Peter took that one as well. 

“Would you like to tag along?” Steve asked MJ. “You’ll be a bit of a third wheel, or fourth, I suppose, but you’re welcome to join us.” 

“No thanks, you boys have fun,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll find something to do at this party.” 

“Okay, let’s meet back in the foyer at 1am, then,” Steve said. 

“Aye aye, sir,” she said with a mock salute. With that, she disappeared once again into the crowd. 

“I like her,” Bucky said. “She doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously.” 

“I’m sure she would be pleased to hear that,” Peter laughed. 

He let the two alphas lead him deeper into the museum. The din of the party echoed around them. The smell of different colognes and perfumes wafted through the air. Through it all, Peter wondered if he actually had a little real pixie dust. He felt like he was walking on air.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos give me life, y'all! 
> 
> Come follow me on [tumblr](https://leisurelypanda.tumblr.com/) for various fandom related nonsense! <3


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